


Dangan Ronpa: Hopeless Lament

by BedOfThxrns



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Eastern Name Order, Fan Dangan Ronpa, Gen, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 01:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8645476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BedOfThxrns/pseuds/BedOfThxrns
Summary: The Super High-school Level students are known all across Japan for their success in whatever talent they hold. Some even say they possess the ability to shape the future of the world itself. For Otonokouji Tsurugi, the world he's not so sure on, but his own continued future most certainly depends on himself and his classmates as they face entrapment, betrayal and plenty of bloodshed.CURRENTLY IN: Chapter One - (Ab)normal Days





	1. Prologue: Everything Changes

**Can one imagine a more desirable school to attend than Hope’s Peak Academy? Located in central Tokyo, the tall building with state of the art architecture housed the nation’s gifted students. The school is widely popular and well-known by citizens across the country for it’s highly exclusive nature. You can’t apply to the school, the school specifically scouts its students.**

**There are two requirements you must meet for the scouters of Hope’s Peak to notice you. Firstly, you must currently be enrolled in high school. Secondly, you must be the very best at what you do. For that one reason alone, this luxurious academy was very exclusive. Only the most talented of individuals were allowed to walk the halls, their success in life guaranteed by graduating.**

**Certainly the Super High-school Level students were something to admire. Here you had your average teenagers attending high school suddenly elevated to elite status because they happened to possess a particular talent. It’s certainly amazing to think that just by being exceptionally good at something, that you can become so successful in life.**

**Yet, for most people, something like attending Hope’s Peak will only ever be a dream they may hold. My circumstances were different though. I had received an invitation letter, dictating that I was to join the ranks of this year’s Super High-school Level class. Just like any other incoming student to Hope’s Peak would be, I was very excited about getting this letter.**

**Oh dear, I seem to be getting off track a little!**

Otonokouji: Hello there! My name is Otonokouji Tsurugi.

**Haha, I seemed to be so caught up in my thoughts that I nearly forgot to introduce myself. Now that I’ve got that done, I suppose I can tell you what my talent is too. The letter I received listed me as the Super High-school Level Puzzler.**

** **

[[OTONOKOUJI TSURUGI, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL PUZZLER]]

**See, when it comes to people who I’ve informed of my invitation, I sometimes get a particular question. Just what is a puzzler?** **To be rather blunt about it, the title implies that I’m rather good at solving puzzles. I’ve seemed to master the art of putting the pieces together, so solving just comes natural to me at this point. I particularly gained a bit of fame as a thick book of riddles came out and I had detailed answers to every riddle written out within a week of it’s release.**

**Regardless of how good of a solver I am, it ended up getting me to a famous school called Hope’s Peak. To know that my high school career would be spent as an elite, sharing a classroom with other elites, was quite the thing to think about. What would my classmates be like? Just average people, or did they have special quirks to match their special talents?**

**And so I stood there, eyes trained on the school in front of me. Such a fancy school was where I attended now, and I was rather excited to start. Smiling satisfactorily to myself, I opened the front doors and entered the building. What awaited me was a nicely decorated entrance hall. I quite liked the look of this building, it was clean and visually pleasing. Just what I expected from such a school.**

**What I was not expecting was for my mind to suddenly grind to a halt. My vision was swimming and I could feel my consciousness fading. Everything went blurry, and I think I tried to steady myself against a column. My mind faded away and I was plunged into darkness.**

**.**

**.**

**..**

**....**

**.......**

**........What?**

**As my consciousness slowly returned, I first noticed one thing. I was sitting in a chair. How’d I get here…? Last I remember, I was standing. Did I pass out and someone just sat me down? Hmm. There were quite a few possibilities, but it’d probably be more exhausting than I already felt just trying to think of them all. Blinking a few times until my eyesight sharpened, everything seemed to stop.**

**I was not in the entrance hall of Hope’s Peak.**

**Rather than a light, neatly decorated entryway of a school, I seemed to find myself in a harsher lit entrance of...I couldn’t quite place what this was. There was a bench on each wall, a simple potted tree next to each. The floor was of solid black tile. There was a table in the center of the room, and then there was where I woke.**

**Glancing around me, I seemed to be in a small receptionist’s office. There was a window to the left of me through which I could see the double doors leading into this entrance hall. There was also a desk and a filing cabinet. I tried searching through both but they were unusually barren. Hm, I would have thought there’d be at least** **_one_ ** **file to be seen. I got to my feet, the swivel chair I had been placed in rolling a few inches away from the force.**

**Directly to my front, it seemed the only way to exit this receptionist’s office is through a door in the counter. Attempting to pull or push it open lead to no results, so I ended up just having to jump the counter. As I did so, someone let out a startled yelp. I blinked as my eyes fixed on a short red-haired girl in jeans and a t-shirt.**

???: [wide eyes] Where the hell were you hiding?

Otonokouji: What? I was in the receptionist’s office...

???: [arms crossed, grumpy side glance] Geez, you could fuckin’ warn someone. Who the hell are you anyway?

Otonokouji: Uh, Otonokouji Tsurugi.

???: [brows furrowed] D’you know how we got here, Otonokouji-kun?

Otonokouji: Ah, sorry, but I’m afraid not.

???: [exasperated look] Fuck! No one fuckin’ knows!

**Nobody knew how we arrived here? That raised several flags immediately. Not only does it imply there are more people here, but that everyone was in the same boat as me. This situation was...mildly concerning, to say the least. I guess everything would be revealed eventually, for now I should just focus on learning more about her.**

Otonokouji: Say, you never did tell me who you are.

???: [head tilted] Who, me? [fists clenched, excited expression] I’m Kobashikawa Harumi, master of pyrotechnics! Don’t you fuckin’ forget it!

[[KOBASHIKAWA HARUMI, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL PYROTECHNICIAN]]

Kobashikawa: [smug grin] I’m pretty fuckin’ awesome, if I do say myself!

**As she said that, I noticed something I hadn’t earlier. Her belt was adorned with lighters. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that, she wouldn’t have needed to tell me she was a pyrotechnic if I had picked up on it. ...But then again, due to how she’s acting at the moment, she probably would anyway.**

**In any case, I did hear about her beforehand. Kobashikawa-san has done plenty of work ranging from fireworks shows to flames around the stage at concerts. Whenever she is in control of the pyrotechnics in any display, it’s handled with the utmost care. There have been next to no failures in her career as a pyrotechnician, which has earned her a spot at Hope’s Peak.**

Otonokouji: It’s nice to meet you, Kobashikawa-san.

Kobashikawa: [fists clenched, excited expression] Fuck yeah, it’s nice to meet me! [wide grin, hand behind head] So, you a Hope’s Peak kid too?  
  
Otonokouji: Oh! You mean to say you’re the Super High-school Level Pyrotechnician? Ah, sorry, didn’t pick up on that…

Otonokouji: Anyway, yes, I am a Hope’s Peak student. A puzzler to be exact.

Kobashikawa: [head tilted] Like puzzles ‘n shit? [eyes closed, wide grin] Man, Imada-kun would have a fuckin’ field day talkin’ to you!

Kobashikawa: [brows furrowed] You should probably get your ass in gear, dude. Not countin’ me ‘n you, there are fourteen other fuckers you ain’t met. [hand on hip, slight smirk] C’mon, I’ll take you to ‘em.

**With that, she was bounding off, energy levels high. I can only hope she’s not going to burn something down at any point in time. Sighing, I resigned myself to follow her. I got an impatient look at my slower pace as I followed down the right hallway, where she pushed open a set of double doors. As I caught up with her, I stepped into the room.**

**I didn’t even get to take a good look at the area before someone suddenly decided to pop my personal bubble. A girl with long, dark purple hair was now standing in front of me. Geez, can I at least step more than a foot into the room before you attack my personal space?**

???: [leaning forward, curious expression] Whoa!! New face!! Who are you? What’s your talent? I gotta know!

Kobashikawa: [hand on hip, annoyed look] Oh, hey Izuno-san. This is Otonokouji, a puzzler or some shit like that.

Otonokouji: I can introduce myself, you know... But yeah, I’m Otonokouji Tsurugi.

Izuno: [pleased grin] Awesome! Great to meet ya, Otonokouji-kun! They call me Izuno Torae, I do aerial photography!

[[IZUNO TORAE, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHER]]

**Ah, right. Izuno-san is quite famous for the shots she does from helicopters and planes. She captures amazing photographs of cities, skylines and all kinds of different scenery. She’s even responsible for the image of Hope’s Peak that is currently on the academy’s website. It’s no wonder that she got in as the aerial photographer with her skills.**

Otonokouji: That’s really neat, Izuno-san. I’ve seen your work before, it’s pretty cool.

Izuno: [surprised expression] Whoa, really? Thanks a ton, Otonokouji-kun!

Kobashikawa: [looking away] Don’t feed her ego. It just makes her more excited.

**...I’ll keep that in mind, I guess.**

???: [neutral look] Oh, you found someone else, Kobashikawa-san? Thank you for bringing him here. I believe our introductions would go a lot more smoothly if he just announced who he is for everyone to hear first.

**This new voice came from a brown-haired boy in formal attire. His interruption gave me a chance to observe the room. It seemed to be a big open hall with rows and rows of seats in front of a stage. Is this some kind of auditorium? Maybe a room for speeches? I can’t really tell what this is supposed to be.**

???: [arms crossed, neutral look] I believe I shall introduce myself to you first, then you can announce your identity loud and clear for everyone else in the room. [soft smile] Is this agreeable?

Otonokouji: Yeah, sure.

???: [eyes closed, content smile] Wonderful. [neutral look] My name is Sumeragi Romio, and I am your class rep.

[[SUMERAGI ROMIO, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL CLASS REPRESENTATIVE]]

Otonokouji: It’s good to meet you, Sumeragi-kun. I guess it’s my turn then?

Sumeragi: [patient smile] Yes, please introduce yourself to us.

Otonokouji: Right. Hello everybody. I’m Otonokouji Tsurugi, Super High-school Level Puzzler.

Sumeragi: [soft smile] Nice to meet you, Otonokouji-kun. I must say, you might like talking to Imada-kun. He’s the one over there by the wall. [hand raised to chin] Although I’m not sure if he’s alright with it...

Sumeragi: [pleasant expression] Ah, it’s fine. We need to bond in order to be a strong group, no?

Otonokouji: That’s... usually how things work, yes.

Sumeragi: [happy grin] Glad you agree. I believe we’ll get along just fine. Now then, I urge you to go mingle with everyone and learn their names.

**He seems to be quite nice. Although I noticed he was a little fidgety. Perhaps he’s just preoccupied with our situation? I know he’s a class rep and is likely to worry over this stuff, but someone should remind him to take it easy until we learn what’s going on. It’s just that’ll have to be someone else, since he wants me to go talk to the others.**

**I guess I’ll start with the one boy everyone keeps mentioning to me. Why do they want me to meet him so bad? What about me possibly screams that I need to be his friend? I think Sumeragi-kun mentioned he’s the loner by the wall. First thing I noted was that he had two-toned hair. The right half is black, the left being red. The red side was adorned with a little crown clip.**

Imada: [blank stare] ...

Otonokouji: Uh, hi... I’ve had two people now mention that I should meet you.

Imada: [looks left] ...Okay.

Otonokouji: So... Who are you and what do you do?

Imada: [blank stare] Imada Mitsuoki, I make escape rooms.

[[IMADA MITSUOKI, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL ESCAPE ROOM CREATOR]]

**Oh. It makes plenty of sense now. They wanted me to meet him because he makes escape rooms, in which you solve puzzles in order to escape. I guess I should’ve seen this coming. Now, I had something to talk about with him!**

Otonokouji: Oh, cool! So we both like puzzles then!

Imada: [looks left] Yes.

Otonokouji: ...You don’t talk much, do you?

**Way to go, me. What an observation to make.**

Imada: [blank stare] ... [looks left] I’m not a fan of social gatherings, if that’s what you mean.

Otonokouji: Sorry, I could have worded that a lot better.

Imada: [neutral expression] It’s fine. [neutral, eyes closed] It just makes me uncomfortable.

Otonokouji: Right... Sorry to bother, I’ll let you be.

Imada: [faint smile] Thank you.

**There are about a million better ways for that situation to play out. One, I don’t make a random comment that comes off entirely rude. Two, I hold a peaceful conversation that doesn’t intrude on his social limitation. If I list anymore, I’ll just keep beating myself up mentally over doing that wrong. Guess I’ll just go meet someone else, then.**

**I took a stroll a little ways away from Imada after spotting someone who seemed quite interesting from just the appearance alone. He looked a little familiar from his outfit and I understood why the moment he turned around. I had my eyes on one of the most popular boys in Japan at this very moment. There was no mistaking from that flashy, tattered black and orange clothing with matching boots. He gave off an aura of intimidation, his eyes were biting and anyone in their right mind would be afraid of him. Except, I had introductions to get over with, so I happily walked right up to him. He gave a grunt as I approached.**

Otonokouji: Hello. I can assume you know who I am from my introduction.

???: [eyes narrowed] Yes.

Otonokouji: Ah, great. That'll make things go much quicker.

???: [sneering] Don't you know who I am? I haven't got time for your little introductions.

Otonokouji: W-Well, yeah, I do but I'm trying to hold at least a short conversation with everyone first.

???: [crossed arms, rolling eyes] Fine, so be it. I shouldn't have to do this if you already know who I am, but I'll entertain you. [wide grin, winking] Sakairi Fukase, famous school idol.

[[SAKAIRI FUKASE, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL SCHOOL IDOL]]

Otonokouji: Thanks. It's really nice to meet you, Sakairi-kun!

Sakairi: [forced glare] Do not use such a comfortable honorific for me.

Otonokouji: Oh, I'm sorry, Sakairi...-san?

Sakairi: [arms folded, neutral expression] Better.

**I stood there in uncomfortable silence as I glanced over him. I knew beforehand that he wasn't a very pleasant person, that was his image as a school idol. His idol group was known for their harsher tone of music. They looked scary, had an unforgettable sound and were bad to the bone. However, it felt to me like Sakairi-san was trying too hard to sell that persona. It seemed more like Sakairi-san didn't want to act like this, but had an image to protect.**

Sakairi: [lip curled in a snarl] Are you just going to stand there staring? You can move on now.

Otonokouji: Right, sorry..

**Even when trying to usher me away, it felt jumbled. He had the look of anger down, but his words weren't angry enough. It all felt so forced. Sakairi-san sure was an interesting person. I'd like to get to know him better, but he was quite intent on the shooing me away part so I took the hint and left.** **Weaving my way through the chairs in the room, I found myself someone else to speak with. The girl was tall, and she had piercing teal eyes that I could feel scrutinizing me. She gave a soft noise that I took to be acknowledgement and leaned back just enough for the overhead lights to make her glasses glint. I flinched a little as the harsh light bounced off the lenses and hit me.**

???: [arms crossed, intent stare] I suppose you wish for me to introduce myself.

**Nope. Not at all. I’m just here in front of you to be awkward.**

Otonokouji: That’s...the point of introductions, right?

???: [dismissive expression] But of course. [adjusts glasses] Rokuhana Tomori. I’ve translated many a work of literature, whether it be into Japanese or another language.

[[ROKUHANA TOMORI, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL TRANSLATOR]]

Rokuhana: [slight smile] Are you pleased with this knowledge or shall I tell you more?

Otonokouji: Ah, no, that’s fine for the moment.

Rokuhana: [disappointed expression] Alright. [slight smile] Please do inform me if you ever wish to know more about myself though. Talking about my occupation is enjoyable.

**..Interesting. Rokuhana-san seems to be quite interested in talking about herself. Reminds me somewhat of Kobashikawa-san, but a lot less harsh and forceful in how she speaks. Regardless, I’m not a fan on getting on anyone’s bad side, I’ll have to let her tell me more about her translations in the future. That’s the correct thing to do, right? Or would that just be feeding her ego until she becomes another Kobashikawa? Eh, who knows.**

Otonokouji: Sure thing, Rokuhana-san.

Rokuhana: [smiling, clasping hands] Thank you.

**I gave a friendly wave as I walked away. I didn’t know who to even approach next. My eyes fell on this really short, thin boy with an oversized green sweater and really tight jeans. Huh. Interesting clothing choice, indeed. I decided I’d approach him, perhaps he’d be pretty easy to talk to. He seems unassuming enough, after all. I only had to navigate through one row of chairs this time--lucky me, eh?**

Otonokouji: Excuse me?

???: [startled expression] AH! [wide teary eyes] O-oh... You s-scared me...

Otonokouji: Ah, sorry.. I didn’t mean to scare you..

???: [looking down, tears in eyes] N-no, it’s fine, I’m j-just a wimp...

Otonokouji: It was my fault for sneaking up on you, though.

???: [wiping an eye] So, y-you’re here for introductions, I-I haven’t talked to you yet... [standing up straight, strained smile] I-I’m Isogai Katsuhiro! I’m t-the Super High-school Level 3D Modeller!

[[ISOGAI KATSUHIRO, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL 3D MODELLER]]

Otonokouji: Nice to meet you, Isogai-kun.

Isogai: [hands held to chest, curious expression] W-who are you?

Otonokouji: Wha-? I... I just introduced myself out loud to everyone. Didn’t you hear?

Isogai: [shocked expression] E-eh?! [looking down, tears in eyes] I-I must not have been paying a-attention... I’m s-sorry...

**You certainly know how to make others feel good...**

Otonokouji: N-No, it’s okay. I'm Otonokouji Tsurugi, SHSL Puzzler.

Isogai: [forced smile, tears in eyes] N-Nice to meet you, Otonokouji-kun. S-Sorry again for zoning out..

Otonokouji: You know me now, right? You’re fine.

Isogai: [looking right in shame] Alright...

**I watched as he walked away with his shoulders slumped. Well, that went off without a hitch. Not like I just made him feel bad for paying no attention to my introduction. I guess I’ll just have to make up for it some time. I couldn’t help but think of the irony that he specifies in 3D modelling, but can’t get his own clothing sizes right.**

**With that funny little tidbit in my head, I turned around and practically yelled in fear. This girl had suddenly appeared behind me, all smiles as she stared me down. I winced a little from her neon yellow hair. No, I’m not kidding, her hair wasn’t blonde. It was neon yellow, and it was giving me a case of eye strain. I couldn’t just look away when she was here to talk to me, though...**

???: [wildly waving arms] Tsurugi-chan! Tsurugi-channnn!

**A little forward, aren’t you?**

Otonokouji: Y-Yeah?

???: [fist pump, excited expression] Hi!! It’s really cool to meet ya, like, super cool!!

Otonokouji: Uh, thanks..? Um, who are you?

???: [neutral expression] Oh, me? [holding up peace sign, grinning] I’m Yozora Koumi!! I do stopmotion animation stuff!!

[[YOZORA KOUMI, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL STOPMOTION ANIMATOR]]

**Stopmotion? For someone so excitable, it seems kinda weird to see her doing something as painstaking and tedious as stopmotion... But then again, that was just based off of a preconceived notion I had of her. Perhaps she’s a lot more patient than she initially lets on.**

Otonokouji: Stopmotion, huh? That’s really cool, Yozora-san.

Yozora: [fist pump, excited expression] Glad you think so, Tsurugi-chan!

Otonokouji: So, just out of curiousity--

Yozora: [holding finger to lips] Shhh, no time!! Gotta go see if this place has the stuff I need!!

**Before I could get another word in, she was gone, just a blur of neon hair and a neon pink scarf. Well, she sure is... Peculiar, to say the least. All I wanted to do was ask her how she got into stopmotion, but she must’ve had other things she wanted to do. I wondered what kinda stuff she was running off to look for. Clay and a camera, maybe? Who knows. Guess I’ll just have to ask her later.**

**With that said, I didn’t have to look much further for the next person to talk to because there was a heated argument just a few rows away from me. A redheaded girl in decades old clothing and a black-haired boy in dress slacks and a blue button-up were arguing over the boy’s camera. I heard snippets of the argument as I got closer to them.**

???: [gritting teeth angrily] I just wanted to look at it!

???: [eyes narrowed, brows furrowed] Keep your wretched paws _away_ from my camera, have you any idea how hard this was to obtain?

???: [exasperated expression] I don’t give a single solitary shit about the backstory of how you got the damn thing, I just wanted to see if it needed restoring!

???: [looking away] The only thing here that needs restoring is your previous distance from me.

???: [pushing glasses up with middle finger] ....

Otonokouji: Am I... Am I butting in here?

???: [gritting teeth] You! Can you talk sense into this prick?

???: [rolling eyes] Oh, please.

Otonokouji: Ah, what’s even going on..?

???: [blank stare] Well, this wretch here has decided she wanted to touch the camera of Eoh Ji-hyun. What’s a photogrammetrist without his camera?

[[EOH JI-HYUN, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL PHOTOGRAMMETRIST]]

???: [holding arms up in exasperation] What the fuck even _is_ a photogrammetrist?

Eoh: [disgusted look] I measure distances and similar things in photographs, if you must know. Cameras are important to my work, so I’d be very pleased if you’d keep your hands away from mine.

???: [arms folded, frustrated look] Then you clearly don’t know who I am! Koyasunaga Risako, antique restorer. If you’d even let me touch the damn thing, I could assess it and fix anything that needs fixed.

[[KOYASUNAGA RISAKO, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL ANTIQUE RESTORER]]

Koyasunaga: [irritated side glance] Or are you too good for even an antique restorer?

Eoh: [dismissive expression] I can assure you, I do _not_ require your services. Perhaps your presence can provide Otonokouji-san here entertainment, but I believe that myself and my camera will go elsewhere.

Koyasunaga: [gritting teeth] Fine! Leave! Fuck me for trying to give your camera an assessment free of charge!

**Needless to say, but by the time that Eoh-kun was stomping away, I was more than just a little bit uncomfortable. With an awkward laugh, I tried striking conversation with Koyasunaga-san. She still seemed a little off-put by Eoh-kun’s unreasonable nature, but she was at least willing to continue talking to me.**

Koyasunaga: [closed eyes, pouting] The nerve of that kid! [arms crossed, soft smile] So you’re the other puzzle dork, eh?

Otonokouji: Yeah, that’s me.

**When I said willing, I didn’t mean that she’d be exactly gentle about the way she said things...**

Koyasunaga: [amused grin] I saw you talking to him. You’re the only person he’s actually smiled at so far.

Otonokouji: Really?

Koyasunaga: [amused grin] Oh yeah! He’s been really standoffish with everyone else, including me. Say, just how fast do you nerds work?

**I was about to say something in my defense but was it really worth it? She’s already been in a fight with one person today over something stupid, I shouldn’t make a big deal about the fact that she’s assuming things from my introduction to Imada-kun. I laughed it off awkwardly and entertained Koyasunaga-san for a few moments more before making my escape.**

**While walking away, I tried to gather my thoughts on the subject. Imada-kun was severely asocial, surely she’d noticed? If I even tried to bond with him in that way, it’d take a while for him to warm up to me. Geez, give some consideration to people’s boundaries. Speaking of boundaries, I didn’t get that far before a voice called for my attention. It was a girl with long hair, a strand in front braided, and wearing a plaid skirt sitting in the row just behind me.**

???: [neutral expression] Otonokouji-kun. You seem a bit drained. Was it the conversation with Koyasunaga-san?

Otonokouji: Uh, yeah. Were you eavesdropping or something?

???: [raised brow] Eavesdropping? No. You just walked away from her with a wince on your face. [hand on chin] Was she assuming something of you and Imada-kun?

Otonokouji: She was. How’d you know?

???: [index finger raised, confident smile] She was eyeing both you and him, not to mention you’ve already expressed your distaste with the conversation.

Otonokouji: Wow, you picked it up from just that?

???: [confident smile] And you’re blushing.

**Wow. I guess I should put some work into my transparency.**

Otonokouji: Well, I guess that would do it, then. So, who are you?

???: [neutral expression] Asayoru Seina, known in the literary field for my mysteries.

[[ASAYORU SEINA, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL MYSTERY NOVELIST]]

**Now that I’ve been introduced, I think I actually do know some of her work. Her work has been published many times in countless countries. She’s paved a new road in the industry, most mysteries being cut and dry detective stories, but hers twisting the genre on it’s head in creative and enjoyable ways. I remember liking the few books that I read, perhaps I should invest in getting some more now that I know the author.**

Otonokouji: _Twin Falls_? Your bestselling series about murder in a small town, right?

Asayoru: [wide eyes] You read my books?

Otonokouji: Is... that a surprise?

Asayoru: [twirling braid around finger] I guess not, really. Just haven’t met anyone who has yet.

Otonokouji: Well, now you have! I’ve only read the first two, but they were quite good! You can be sure I’ll pick the next few up.

Asayoru: [hand on chest, content smile] Thank you, Otonokouji-kun. Your readership is most appreciated.

Otonokouji: No problem, Asayoru-san. Good work deserves recognition, after all!

**What I said seemed to make her happy, and she was still beaming as I walked away to go meet one of the four I’d yet to speak to. I spotted a  white-haired girl not too far away, facing away from me. She was a little hunched over and I could see her doing something with her face. I was a little curious, so I decided I’d get her name next.**

**What I saw when I got over there, however, made me instantly regret that decision. When I gave her shoulder a gentle tap, I was able to see red staining her hands. She froze, then slowly turned to look up at me. My eyes widened in fear as she looked up at me, the flesh of her face mauled. I felt my stomach churning at the grotesque sight as she gurgled. Just when I turned to look away, clutching my stomach, the gurgles turned to giggles.**

???: [laughing] Ha! Oh my god, I got you good!

**I stared in confusion before what was laying at her feet clued me in. Sitting on the floor was a mirror, brushes, fake blood and other such supplies. It was just makeup.**

Otonokouji: I... I’m not even sure what to say at this point.

???: [eyes closed, small smile] Sorry, but I’m gonna use my talent when I can.

**With a grin, she reached up and pulled off the prosthetic on her face to reveal perfectly normal and smooth skin underneath. She reached down to her bag and pulled a wipe from it, cleaning the remaining makeup from her face. She had it removed completely and cleaned up after a few moments, then was ready to continue talking.**

???: Anyway, if you can’t tell, I do practical effects! Name’s Oogane Inaho.

[[OOGANE INAHO, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL PRACTICAL EFFECTS ARTIST]]

Otonokouji: I suppose it’s nice to meet you, Oogane-san.

Oogane: [unamused frown] You suppose? C’mon man, it was just a joke. Showing off my talent and stuff to whoever happened to approach me first.

Otonokouji: ...Okay.

Oogane: [pouting] C’mon, don’t be that way! It was harmless!

Otonokouji: Okay.

**Is this rude? To just be like this when someone horrifies you? I don’t know if it’s rude or not, but that was a sucky way to surprise someone and I don’t really appreciate it all that much.**

Oogane: [hands clasped, lower lip stuck out] C’mooon. Please forgive me?

Otonokouji: Okay.

Oogane: [fists clenched, frustrated expression] Oh my god, you dick, would you stop?!

Otonokouji: ...

Oogane: [frustrated expression] ...

Otonokouji: ...

Oogane: [eyebrow raised] ...

Otonokouji: Okay.

Oogane: [fists clenched, frustrated expression] God DAMN IT!

**Well, that was fun, but I’m going to get the hell out of here before she makes my face match the make up--and definitely** **_not_ ** **with liquid latex prosthetics. Narrowly avoiding my own demise at the hands of Oogane-san’s paintbrushes, I quite literally ran into someone. With a yelp, I fell sideways, somersaulting over a row of seats both painfully and against my will.**

**Groaning, laying on the floor flat on my back, I opened my eyes to see the person that I had ran into staring down over the seats at me. She looked concerned, her short purple hair somehow remaining in place despite the fact that she was bending down to assess my damage. After a moment, she raised a hand to her lips and chuckled. I’m pretty sure I could also hear Oogane-san laughing in the distance.**

Otonokouji: Glad someone’s getting enjoyment out of my pain... Anyway, I’m sorry about that.

???: [hand raised to lips] No, it’s quite alright. You simply weren’t watching, It’d be advised that you do that next time, though, in order to avoid future incidents.

Otonokouji: Yeah, yeah, I got it.

???: [bowing respectfully] You are Otonokouji Tsurugi, yes? The last of us to arrive? I am Makabe Kana.

Otonokouji: That’s me. Pleasure to meet you, Makabe-san. I assume you have a Super High-school Level talent too?

Makabe: [calm smile] But of course. I currently hold the title of Karuta queen.

[[MAKABE KANA, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL KARUTA QUEEN]]

Otonokouji: Karuta? I’m sorry to say that I’ve only seen that played in anime, although I think my old school had a Karuta club.

Makabe: [hand raised to lips] You require no prior knowledge of Karuta to befriend me, Otonokouji-san. Besides, it would be much better to learn from the best player in the country, no?

Otonokouji: I suppose that is true.

Makabe: [patient smile] Yes, indeed. Now then, I do request that when you wish to learn, you simply come to me. I’m going to seek out my set of hanafuda. Oogane-san has her makeup bag, perhaps my cards are here too.

Otonokouji: Ah, good luck, Makabe-san.

Makabe: [waving] Thank you, Otonokouji-san.

**Her floral kimono disappeared into the distance as she began examining every nook and cranny of the room before leaving out the double doors. Well, now I only had two more people I hadn’t yet met. The next person I saw was dressed a little oddly. They had like three shirts on, and ugly red checkered pants. They even had a tie on, but it only barely went down past their chest. They seemed to notice my appraisal of their outfit choice and coughed.**

???: [bored look] Hello, fashion police? Yeah, I know. I dress weird. Please stop staring at my clothes, because that’s even weirder.

Otonokouji: S-sorry, I really didn’t mean to stare.

???: [holding left arm, bored look] Uh-huh. Sure, dude. I assume you want my name or something? That’s what you’ve been doing, right? Goin’ around and indexing everyone _before_ looking into possible escape routes.

Otonokouji: Well, yeah, that was my intention.

???: [shaking head] Nah, dude. It’s stupid to go around and meet everyone first. If you wake up in a strange place with no recollection of how you got there, the last thing you wanna do is go around talking to everyone you see.

Otonokouji: Right... You’re right.

???: [slight smirk] Especially if the first person you meet is Kobashikawa-san.

Otonokouji: Okay, I definitely made a few mistakes, but I didn’t have a choice but to follow her. I’m not strong or fast, y’know.

???: [neutral expression] No, I get it. Just saying. Might wanna put some more thought into it if you ever find yourself in this situation again.

Otonokouji: Don’t say that like it might actually happen! Anyway, you say that like you’ve already looked for a way out.

???: [look of disbelief] What, you think I wouldn’t take my own advice? Of course I looked! [bored look] Any guesses as to why I’m still here?

Otonokouji: ...You weren’t able to find an exit, were you?

???: [shaking head] Nope. [holding left arm, neutral expression] No choice but to introduce myself now, huh? I’m Tokuoka Noriyasu, I code themes for blogs.

[[TOKUOKA NORIYASU, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL THEME CODER]]

Otonokouji: So, like, Tumblr?

Tokuoka: [yawning] Yeah, Tumblr. What can I say? The internet is more interesting than most people I meet.

Otonokouji: That’s... not a very healthy outlook on life.

Tokuoka: [bored look] Maybe not, but it’s mine. My very own. Til death do we part.

Otonokouji: Haha, right...

Tokuoka: [bored look] There’s still someone you haven’t met, right? I’m guessing it’s walking, talking angst since your face hasn’t been etched into a permanent grimace.

Otonokouji: Why am I not excited to meet him all of a sudden?

Tokuoka: [holding left arm, neutral expression] I would say to just ignore his presence, but you’ve already shown you want to meet everyone, so go on ahead. His Self-Righteousness is being a pompous ass on the stage.

**They nudged me in the direction of the final student I hadn’t met. By the look on Tokuoka-san’s face, I could tell that they weren’t kidding about this guy’s personality. I cautiously approached the stage where the kid was sat. He already looked obnoxious, from the tall and buff frame to the sweats and tank top. His hair was a dark green and fell halfway down his back. He looked like the kind of guy who would be a total asshole for no reason. I could only hope at this point that Tokuoka-san was just pulling my leg and that he was actually a pretty okay guy.**

???: [annoyed look] I’m not fuckin’ stupid, I can see you there.

**And there go my hopes.**

Otonokouji: Sorry to disturb, I’m just trying to meet everyone.

???: [disgusted look] Like I’d wanna be friendly with an actual fuckin’ fetus, dude. Seriously, y’all are all so fuckin’ _short_.

Otonokouji: We can’t all be giants, you know.

???: [raised brow] Lookit that, the kid’s got some bite on him! Fine, you want my name? Naruse Masaaki.

Otonokouji: Talent?

Naruse: [twitching eye] D’you actually want me to hit you? Cartographer. Happy now? Christ, can I get some peace now? I swear, y’all motherfuckers can’t leave a guy alone for five fuckin’ minutes.

[[NARUSE MASAAKI, SUPER HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL CARTOGRAPHER]]

Otonokouji: Oh, dear. I’m quite sorry that my scavenging for information on other people when we’ve been locked away somewhere unknown is an inconvenience on your precious existence.

**To say that there was actual fire in his eyes when he leaned down to look closer at me would be the biggest understatement of the century. I had just pissed off a man that could probably snap me like a twig because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I swear, one of these days I’m gonna get myself killed by sassing somebody.**

Naruse: [stony expression] You listen right the fuck up, _kid_. You run your mouth at me again and see where it fuckin’ gets you, because I can promise that the ‘rents won’t be able to ID you when I’m done.

**Edgy.**

Otonokouji: ...Yes, sir.

Naruse: [malicious grin] The kid called me sir, that’s how you properly respect someone. Get the fuck outta here.

**I didn’t waste time in turning around to leave. I barely caught sight of Tokuoka-san off to the side, giving me a look that just screamed “What did I tell you?” Maybe I should have just listened to them and avoided Naruse-kun. Does he even deserve an honorific? Ugh, whatever. I just wanted to leave the room. Navigating my way through to the side in order to avoid all the rows of seats, I laid my eyes on the doors leading out. Perhaps I could find rooms that were more interesting. And also less hostile. That would be good.**

**Suddenly, without any warning, the intercoms crackled to life with a harsh whine. I couldn’t help but cry out in pain, it was just that loud. Collapsing to my knees, I held my ears, hoping that the ringing wouldn’t last when a cartoony voice poured out of the speakers. It sounded nice and inviting at first, but given the situation I was in, that only made it creepy.**

???: Ahem, ahem! Yoo-hoo, I know a few of you are roaming the halls. Please come to the auditorium at once, and make it quick! I’ve got a veeery important announcement for you all!

**An announcement, huh? Well, that effectively crushes my hopes of leaving the room. I could see Sumeragi-kun rushing to the front of the room. Seems he was anxious to get the news of what was happening. I was already suspicious enough of the situation, but hearing that voice speaking only made me more suspicious. I was expecting something bad, I wouldn’t lie. I anxiously waited for those who left to return.**

**I didn’t really watch the door to see who all had gone, but I did look back and catch Makabe-san as she returned with hanafuda in hand. I’m glad that she at least managed to find her cards, but my mind didn’t dwell there for long. It was too busy running a mile a minute, theorizing about what the announcement would be. Can you blame me though? It’s only natural for someone in a foreign situation that shows all the signs of being harmful in intent to worry over it.**

**As it turns out, I didn’t have to wait too long before I was to get my answer. With the sound of a door clicking shut, all sixteen of us were present in the auditorium. All that could be done now was wait for whoever spoke over the intercom to show up and make their announcement. I wasn’t too keenly aware of my own pacing during the minute it took, only noticing when the voice returned, this time from the stage.**

???: Is everything working okay? Is the mic on? Can you hear me?

Naruse: [annoyed look] I can fuckin’ hear you, maybe tone it down, jackass.

???: Oh, good! You can hear me after all!

**And just like that, I was staring at the owner of the voice. It didn’t really click at first. It took several minutes of shocked staring to really drive the reality home. The voice belonged to, the thing I was staring at was, a black and white teddy bear. It stared out at all of us, not saying a word. I was still reeling as it looked from student to student, surveying us. Did I mention it was a fucking teddy bear?**

???: [paw raised to mouth] Yeesh, tough crowd.

Sumeragi: [eyes wide] You’re... a teddy bear.

???: [angrily leaning forward] I’m _not_ a teddy bear!

Kobashikawa: [scratching chin] You sure do fuckin’ look like one.

???: [baring claws angrily] Well, I sure as hell am not! I’m way better than those limp pieces of fabric and cotton!

Asayoru: [sweating nervously] So... Do you have answers on the situation?

Otonokouji: Are you really asking a bear that?

Tokuoka: [bored look] Got any better ideas, Otonokouji-kun? Let’s see if it knows anything.

???: [paw behind head] Aww shucks, do I get the floor? Well, for starters, I’m the loveable Monokuma!

Makabe: [stern look] Forgive me, but such pleasantries should come later. If you have something to tell us, it would be much preferred if you started speaking.

Monokuma: [baring claws angrily] Maybe I would if you bastards would stop cutting me off! [neutral look] So, as you all have seen, you are not where you remember being last!

Eoh: [dismissive expression] The point, if you will.

Monokuma: [head bowed sadly] Fine, fine, don’t let me get in any build-up! You’re so pushy, Eoh-kun.

Eoh: [taken aback] ... [clenching fist, angry expression] How do you know my name?

Monokuma: [holding stomach, leaning back] Why wouldn’t I? Think about it, Eoh-kun! Sixteen Hope’s Peak students don’t just go _missing_ for no reason!

Yozora: [fearfully gripping scarf] W-w-what do you want?

Monokuma: [paw raised to mouth] What do I want? [neutral expression] We’ll get to that, but first, part one of my announcement!

Isogai: [shielding face with arms] Part one? T-There’s gonna be more?

Monokuma: [laughing] Of course, Isogai-kun! Now then! [neutral expression] Welcome to the HQ. It isn’t anyone’s first choice for a home, but I promise it has all the necessities!

Rokuhana: [peering over glasses] A home? Are you implying...

Monokuma: [paw behind head] Yes, I am! Welcome to your new home, everyone! You’ll be moving in today and staying for, well, forever!

Sakairi: [leaning back, wide eyes] ...

**By this point, I had become positive that I was not awake. I probably hit my head after passing out at Hope’s Peak and probably died. This is my own personal hell, isn’t it? Being stuck in a building for eternity with this dumb teddy bear. What did I ever do to deserve this? Is it too late to be reincarnated? I swear I’ll be better in my next life! Or maybe I’m just comatose and dreaming...**

Monokuma: [neutral expression] And I promise none of you are dreaming, this is really real!

**Are you sure? Sounds like something my brain would say if I were dreaming.**

Oogane: [clutching brush to chest] You’ve gotta be kidding me...

Monokuma: [paw behind head] I’m not kidding! You guys will be living out the rest of your lives here in the HQ and you can’t leave, ever! I hope that’s not too much of a problem, and if it is, deal with it!

Izuno: [eyes wide with fear] N-no! No way! I wanna go home!

Naruse: [snarling] You must wanna fuckin’ fight, bear!

Monokuma: [baring claws angrily] Just try it! Don’t think I don’t have any protection systems put in place to... ahem, _subdue_ those who try to oppose me.

Naruse: [face contorted in anger] Oh yeah? What fucking systems? _What the fuck is a tiny little fuckin’ plush gonna do, huh?!_

**Right after he finished yelling, there was a loud sound of impact. I flinched away from the noise at first, but when I finally looked I saw a spear embedded in the ground directly in front of Naruse-kun. I stared in disbelief, and no doubt he did too. Monokuma wasn’t joking with us anymore, this had gotten serious.**

Monokuma: [paw behind head] Believe me now? I won’t miss if you actually try to hurt me!

Koyasunaga: [gripping suspenders, eyes wide] What the fuck... What the fuck is going on?

Monokuma: [neutral expression] So, who wants to hear part two?

Imada: [grimacing] .....

Otonokouji: What is it? What’s part two?

Monokuma: [paw behind head] That’s the spirit, Otonokouji-kun! Part two is how to leave! [paw raised] “But Monokuma! Didn’t you just say we couldn’t leave?” I did! But, there is a way for those who really wanna leave.

Sumeragi: [brows furrowed] What is it, if I may ask?

Monokuma: [neutral expression] I’m glad you did! If you truly want to leave this building, all you’ve gotta do is kill a classmate!

**The stunned silence returned as Monokuma’s words sank in. So not only did we wake up in an unfamiliar location, we now finally understood something about our imprisonment. We had information on what our life here would be like now. My stomach twisted into knots as I thought about it. Not only were we trapped in this building, we couldn’t leave unless we killed someone else. That meant the maximum number of people who could leave would be eight, right? These thoughts served only as a distraction from the fear at the moment, I didn’t want to be like everyone else at the moment.**

Naruse: [shocked look] The fuck?!

Isogai: [sobbing] I-I wanna go home!! Let me out of here!

Sakairi: [gripping collar, tears in eyes] What the fuck is happening?!

Sumeragi: [taken aback] T-This is absurd!

Monokuma: [paw behind head] I assure you, Sumeragi-kun, it’s anything but! This is your reality now! Now this box here on stage contains your electroIDs! They contain the rules here! Bye bye now~

**And with that, he was gone, leaving us to our own devices here in the auditorium. I looked around at the faces around me, seeing faces of shock, fear and worry. As for myself, I wasn’t sure just how I was processing everything. There was a feeling of disbelief rooted within me, despite the fact that I’d seen an example of just how real this situation was. I saw Sumeragi-kun moving towards the stage, towards the box Monokuma had mentioned.**

Sumeragi: [weary expression] At least they’ve got labels. [neutral expression] It’d be wise for everyone to come take their electroID now. We can review the rules Monokuma has set for us.

Koyasunaga: [fearful expression, tugging on suspenders] Aren’t you afraid, Sumeragi-kun? A teddy bear just told us to kill each other if we wanna leave!

Sumeragi: [tired smile] Of course I am. But it would do no good letting your emotions get the best of you, right? I’m sorry if my lack of showing fear seems callous, I just felt that someone should keep a level head so everything can calm down quicker.

Naruse: [disgusted look] Oh, sure asshat. Everything just magically gets better if we’re all fuckin’ thinking right. People are just as capable of murder with a calm head as they are with a panicking one, shithead.

**Naruse-kun took his ID and didn’t stick around. We could do nothing but watch as he stormed off to who knows where. It seems his outburst was infectious because the others started to take their IDs and leave. No one seemed to want to actually remain together right now, which was more than understandable. Being with people after being told to kill didn’t seem like such a great idea.**

Sumeragi: [downcast look] We didn’t even go over the rules yet...

Otonokouji: It’s alright, Sumeragi-kun. Let’s give them a bit to recover and we can gather everyone again to talk them over, yeah?

Sumeragi: [tired smile] Yeah, we’ll do that. That sounds good. Thank you, Otonokouji-kun.

**He made his way to the doors and left the room. I reached into the box and grabbed the last remaining electroID, no doubt belonging to me. I glanced up to see that Imada-kun hadn’t left just yet.**

Imada: [hard stare] It’s already so hard to trust people, our situation is only making it harder.

Otonokouji: We shouldn’t think like that, right?

Imada: [looks left] I know none of you better than a few mannerisms and your names. I can’t trust anything about any of you at the moment.

Otonokouji: You’ve got a point there...

Imada: [hard stare] Keep an eye on Naruse-kun. He could be a danger to everyone, and is currently the most likely to commit a murder.

**With that bit of advice from the asocial boy, I was alone in the auditorium with nothing but my thoughts. I wanted to be able to say I could trust everyone to keep the peace, but I’ve already seen fights and I had only just met everyone. There was no way to tell for certain what anyone was thinking. All I’ve got to rely on at the moment is hope.**

  
**PROLOGUE: END** **  
** **REMAINING STUDENTS: 16**


	2. Chapter One: Like Fire In My Soul (Ab)normal Days, Part 1

**_Chapter One: Like Fire In My Soul, (Ab)normal Days_ **

 

 

**The hallway before me hadn’t been filled with so much tension when I was being brought to the auditorium, but in leaving it, that was the only thing to be felt. It was heavy in the air, almost suffocating. It was like a fog that had washed over the building and there was no way you wouldn’t notice it. Undeterred by the change in the place’s atmosphere, I continued on back to the lobby. I reached the right turn that would take me straight into the lobby when I noticed the hallway continued going straight. There was another room this way.**

**I didn’t really have a destination in mind, but now that I was privy to this area, I figured I may as well check it out. Making the quick trip down to the end of this stretch of hallway, I was met with a door that was labeled “Break Room”. Huh. I remember that Monokuma had called this place the HQ, so I could only assume this building was for some kind of corporation or organization. Something like that.**

**Pushing open the door, I was greeted by about what you’d expect. A few empty tables here and there, potted plants in corners and a few vending machines filled with various junk foods and sodas.**

**What I wasn’t really expecting to be greeted by was Tokuoka-san having a staredown with the vending machines. They seemed to be giving it the most scrutinizing of stares, and considering I didn’t have my wallet on me, they were probably wondering how to get the snacks without money. They leaned forward, gripping both sides of the machine and practically pressing their face against the glass. I approached silently, somewhat amused by the sight.**

Tokuoka: [eyes narrowed, slight frown] This is just torture, isn’t it? Put vending machines in and give us no money to get the snack food. [neutral expression] ... [eyebrow raised] Since you’re there, got any money, Otonokouji-kun?

**Wait, what? They hadn’t made any indication thus far that they even knew I was here!**

Otonokouji: Well, uh, no. Can’t seem to find my wallet.

Tokuoka: [brows furrowed in thought] I can get behind taking the phones and communication devices of the people you kidnap, but their wallets? [scratching head] Maybe it’s just a big fuck you and they took everything we had in our pockets.

Otonokouji: Huh. That is a little weird.

Tokuoka: [shoulders shrugged] Well, in any case, doesn’t look like I’m getting any of these snacks any time soon.

???: Upupu...

Otonokouji: Oh no.

Monokuma: [laughing[ Ooooh yes!

Tokuoka: [covering face with hand] Oh hell, what do you want?

Monokuma: [head bowed sadly] Aw, my precious students don’t even want to hear what I have to say about the snack machine?

Tokuoka: [unamused expression, folded arms] Are you going to actually be useful?  
Monokuma: [baring claws angrily] Are you implying I’m not useful?!

Tokuoka: [bored look] Did I stutter?

Monokuma: [head bowed sadly] You’re so mean to me, Tokuoka-san... I don’t know if I wanna even tell you now... [neutral expression] But I will anyway, because I’m the best headmaster. [paw behind head] Want a snack? You just gotta find my monocoins!

Otonokouji: ...Monocoins.

Monokuma: [paw behind head] Yuuup! Authentic, one of a kind monocoins! They’re all over the place, you just gotta look for them!

Tokuoka: [darkened expression] I’ve gotta go on a goddamn scavenger hunt just to get money for a bag of chips. [darkened expression, eyes closed] I hate this place more with every passing second.

Otonokouji: Aheh... Right...

Tokuoka: [closed eyes, hand on forehead] This is stupid. [leaning forward, annoyed expression] _You’re_ stupid.

Monokuma: [head bowed sadly] Nooo... my precious self esteem...

**And with that, Monokuma disappeared. Quite literally, actually. Huh. Well, never mind that, that’s a puzzle for another day. I had a feeling that Monokuma wanted us to look for the coins, and if I could bet on anything, I would bet that there was a coin right here in the break room. I wandered over to the tables, looking around them for a coin when an idea struck me. Walking right over to the potted plant in the corner, I picked it up and sure enough there was a coin lying there on the floor.**

Otonokouji: Really? That’s such a cliche hiding spot...

Tokuoka: [bored expression] Did you really expect anything less from that bear?

Otonokouji: Not really, no.

**I made my way over to the vending machine. Peering around Tokuoka-san, I got a good look at everything in the machine. The top three rows were different chip brands and different flavors for each brand. Most of the remaining rows going down were other various snacks like cookies, candy bars, cakes. Curiously enough, there was only one thing on the bottom row. Some kind of plant. Another thing I noted about it was everything else in the machine was one coin, but the plant cost ten coins. Shrugging it off, I slid the coin into the slot.**

Otonokouji: Get whatever you want.

Tokuoka: [eyebrow raised] You’re just gonna give it to me?

Otonokouji: Well, yeah, you wanted a snack, right? Go ahead, there’ll be more coins to find if I want something.

Tokuoka: [small grin, giving thumbs-up] Hella. Thanks, Otonokouji-kun.

Otonokouji: You’re welcome, Tokuoka-san.

**They tapped in the combination for what they wanted on the keypad--what the hell were “honey butter” flavor chips?--then they gave me an appreciative nod and left. I turned to leave too, but another idea struck me before I moved an inch. I reached up and placed my hand on top of the vending machine. Feeling around for a moment, I eventually found my hand closing around something. Taking it and bringing it down to examine, I wasn’t surprised at all to see that Monokuma had in fact “hidden” a monocoin on top of the machine.**

Otonokouji: ...Wow.

**Pocketing the coin, I made my way to the door and left the room. From there, I took the quick stroll back to the lobby. Already being familiar with the area, I completely ignored it in favor of making my way down the next hallway towards everywhere else I hadn’t been yet. Walking down the hallway, I was met with a door that displayed the words “A/V Office.” Wait... Maybe there are computers in there! Without hesitation, I grabbed the knob and flung open the door.**

**Sure enough, there were several rows of desks, each adorned with a computer. Hope filling my chest, I ran to the desk closest to me and quickly located the power button on the PC. The screen flickered to life and I stood there, the seconds going by agonizingly slow as it booted. And then I was greeted by the desktop. The wallpaper was fairly simple, a grassy meadow. That, however, was not what I cared about. I moved the mouse down onto the taskbar and waited for the little popup window.**

[No internet connection.]

**No! I wasn’t about to let my dreams be crushed like that! I clicked the icon, hoping it would let me connect to a network at least.**

[No network connections available.]

**Dammit!**

Isogai: [dejected look] It’s no u-use... I already tried...

Otonokouji: _GAH!_

Isogai: [startled expression] AH!

Otonokouji: G-Geez, a little warning first..

Isogai: [looking down, tears in eyes] I-I-I’m sorry, Otonokouji-k-kun...

Otonokouji: It’s fine, Isogai-kun...

Isogai: [dejected look] Are y-you sure..? I-I’m just a wimp... I c-can’t hold a conversation w-without tearing u-up at least once...

Otonokouji: No, really, it’s okay. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It gets easier to speak to others when you talk to them for a while.

Isogai: [wiping an eye] R-Really?

**Isogai-kun, for all his nerves, looked hopeful when I said that. Maybe I cheered him up a little with that. At least, I hope that I did because man, he looked upset with himself beforehand.**

Isogai: [twiddling thumbs] Th-Thank you, Otonokouji-kun...

Otonokouji: Yeah, just try not to worry about it too much.

Isogai: [wavering smile] M-Mhm..

**Isogai peered around me at the monitor. I looked at him, and he glanced up at me. He was practically pleading with his eyes to be allowed on the computer I’d been looking at. He... He does know there are plenty more in this room, right? Not just the one I’m using? Regardless of whether or not that tidbit slipped his mind, I relinquished control of the machine to him and stepped away.**

Isogai: [biting thumbnail nervously] S-Sorry, I forgot to check for a-any modeling p-programs earlier...

Otonokouji: No, no, I understand, it’s all yours.

**I don’t even think he heard me say that... The room became filled with the sound of mouse clicks and the clacking of keys. Sighing, I decided to look around to see if there was anything else this room had to offer. Wandering around to the back, I found a screen on the back wall and a projector mounted on the ceiling, aimed directly at the screen. There was also a door on the left wall.**

**Seeing nothing else to examine, I made my way to the door and swung it open. Inside I found several rows of shelves, lined to the brim with monitors, cables and other computer equipment. I was amazed at just how much stuff was able to fit into this tiny little room without suffocating whoever happened to walk in. Man, this was just a forest of equipment! Well, there’s nothing else to investigate here, so I may as well take my leave.**

**Heading out of the room--Isogai-kun was still wrapped up in whatever he was doing--I continued down the hallway. Reaching the end, it branched off into two different directions. To my right was a set of double doors labeled “Cafeteria.” To my left was another hallway with a lot of doors. Giving the cafeteria one more passing glance, I turned to my left to examine all these doors. Approaching the first door I saw, I was greeted by a peculiar sight.**

**Is that...Is that a pixel of Rokuhana-san? Displayed on the door was a pixel image that seemed to be Rokuhana-san. Turning to look at the door just across from it, I was greeted by another pixel image, this one of Sakairi-kun. Continuing down the hallway, I found that all the doors in this hallway had one of us displayed on it. At the very end of the hall on the left was a door with me on it. What are these rooms supposed to be? I tried opening the door to no avail. Then I noticed a scanner below the doorknob. After a moment of thinking, I looked at my electroID and found that on the back there was a small square that contained an odd pattern within. Holding that up to the scanner, I heard a small beep followed by a click. Then I was able to open the door.**

**Stepping inside, I was met with a refreshing blast of cool air. I took a look around, and finally understood what the rooms were. They were dorm rooms. Honestly, I don’t know how I didn’t come to this conclusion earlier. Regardless, it was a rather normally furnished room. There was a bed with black sheets in the far right corner. On the opposite wall was a dresser. There was a tall lamp in the opposite corner to the bed, and also a TV on the wall. Looking closer, though, there were no buttons to turn it on. Huh. How pointless.**

**On the dresser was one riddle book, as well as a few of the different types of Rubik’s cubes and puzzle boxes. Guess those were little welcoming presents for me. The room was fairly basic and comprised of dark greys and black. Downright boring, actually. There was one more thing of interest to note, and that was the door on the back wall. Swinging it open, I found a bathroom right here in the room. Fairly simple, too. Sink and mirror, toilet, towel rack and shower.**

**Hmm. So is this what is to be expected of our rooms? I guess it’s alright. Nothing spectacular, but then again we’re kind of captives at the moment. I’d be concerned if we did have something spectacular. As fun as that would be. Darn, I’d love to have a great room. Maybe a little comfort in this majorly awful situation would make things slightly better. Or not at all, considering this is a kill-or-be-killed type deal. In any case, I have another location to examine.**

**I exited my room and closed the door behind me, hearing a gentle beeping as I did so. Presumably that was the door locking? I was too lazy to investigate that particular detail, so instead I just made my way back down the hall. As I passed I saw Naruse-kun at his door but the moment he laid eyes on me, he hastened his entry to his room. Couldn’t even get a word in! He’s really sticking to this whole “I hate all of you” shtick, huh? Whatever.**

**Determined to not let Naruse-kun’s neverending hatred for the entire world get me down, I marched on past to get back to the cafeteria. Approaching the double doors to the cafeteria, I pushed them open and... well, it was pretty standard for a cafeteria. Nothing that special. There were about six tables, three to each side of the room. They could each fit about eight people. Like I said, pretty standard. However, I did place my eyes on one particular thing at a table that I doubt would be a common staple of cafeterias.**

Sumeragi: [looking down, furrowed brows] ...

**A class rep that was fairly lost in his thoughts.**

Otonokouji: Hey, Sumeragi-kun.

Sumeragi: [neutral look] Hm? [looking down] Oh, hello Otonokouji-kun. [eyes closed, forced smile] How are you?

Otonokouji: As good as can be expected right now. That’s not important though, are you alright?

Sumeragi: [nervous smile, holding up hands] Yes, yes, of course! I’m perfectly alright, but I thank you for your concern. [downcast look] Really, do I look that fazed?

**He wants me to believe he’s okay, but he’s not doing a very good job of appearing that way and he knows it.**

Otonokouji: I don’t mean to seem rude, but you certainly come off that way.

Sumeragi: [clenched teeth] Unforgivable! [looking down, cross expression] Class reps are meant to hold the peace, emotions aren’t allowed to interfere, Romio!

**Those are some harsh words he’s giving himself... Is this what it’s like for him? Does he truly believe that class representatives can’t do their work while showing emotion? That’s a bit of a silly criticism to hold for oneself.**

Otonokouji: Sumeragi-kun...

Sumeragi: [startled expression] Eh..? Did I... say that out loud?

Otonokouji: Ah, yes. You, uh, you did.

Sumeragi: [covering face with hands] Oh... Please forget you heard that.

Otonokouji: Right...

**Well, this conversation sure has been fun so far. In all seriousness, I think it’s given me a little insight into Sumeragi-kun and how he views himself and his position. It’s actually kind of interesting, albeit a bit sad considering how tough he seems to be on himself. I wish he could be more lax with himself, but that would take some coaxing wouldn’t it? After a moment of awkward silence, he seemed to sober up.**

Sumeragi: [forced smile] Ah, while I have you. [appraising stare] You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, Otonokouji-kun.

Otonokouji: Uh, thanks? I think?

Sumeragi: [hand on chin] I had an idea about a way to attempt keeping the peace while we figure this out.

Otonokouji: Oh? Do tell.

Sumeragi: [soft smile] Thank you for taking interest. I think it would be best if we as a whole had breakfast together every day.

Otonokouji: Ah, that’s not a bad idea! It could be fun.

Sumeragi: [faint blush, happy grin] I’m glad you think so. [neutral look] Yes, it could prove to be a fun undertaking, but it also encourages making bonds. It’d be harder for anyone to consider doing what Monokuma asks of us if they make bonds with others.

**...Morbid, but he isn’t wrong.**

Otonokouji: That is... also true.

Sumeragi: [inquisitive look] Would you be willing to help me out with this little undertaking of mine? [patient smile] If not, that’s alright.

Otonokouji: I’d be more than happy to help, Sumeragi-kun.

Sumeragi: [hands clasped together, pleasant expression] Wonderful! I actually wished to gather everyone here to inform them of this and get feedback, as well as go over the rules in the electroID.

Otonokouji: Ah, I’ll go see who I can find, then!

Sumeragi: [arms crossed, patient smile] That would be very helpful. Try to be timely, please.

Otonokouji: No worries. Not that many places here for people to hide, y’know?

**I made my way back over to the double doors to leave, swinging one open. Unfortunately, it seems I can’t go very long without incident, as I heard a loud thwack and someone curse under their breath. Well, shit, I just hit someone with the door, didn’t I? Making my way out of the doorway, I saw Oogane-san sitting on the floor and rubbing her head.**

Oogane: [wincing] Oww...

Otonokouji: Ah, Oogane-san! I apologize, I didn’t know you were there.

Oogane: [pouting] Damn, dude, what did I ever do to you? You got it out for me or something?

**...Seems the apology didn’t do much. I better not point out that she actually did something to trouble me unless I want the door treatment returned.**

Otonokouji: Ah, Oogane-san. I have something I’d like to inform you about.

Oogane: [curious expression] Eh? What is it?

Otonokouji: Sumeragi-kun would like everyone to gather in the cafeteria to discuss what’s going on and the rules we were given on our electroIDs.

Oogane: [wincing] I’d rather not think about it... [sighing] But I guess if that’s what Sumeragi-kun wants, I’ll do it. See you ‘round, Otonokouji.

**No honorific? Geez, I said I was sorry...**

**Ignoring that entire event that just played out, I trucked onwards. I found Isogai-kun still in the A/V room, and Tokuoka-san was hiding in their room. My progress in locating others was the bare minimum right now, but I figured that if I only found three in this location, surely the next would be more fruitful. And, uh, fruitful it was. Before I even got to the entrance hall, I could hear the commotion.**

???: GRAAAH!

???: What the hell are you doing?!

???: SHUT THE FUCK UP!

**Oh, dear god. I’m not ready for this. Never in my life will I be ready for this. What could possibly be going on?**

???: He’s lost it. He’s gone completely bonkers.

???: Really, you’re making quite the racket, I’m sure you could tone down this... _barbarian_ nonsense.

???: DO YOU FUCKERS WANT OUT OR NOT?!

???: NGAAAAAAH!

**All the commotion was drawing a crowd, and as I rounded the corner, I figured out just what was going on. Around the corner was Naruse-kun trying to break down the front doors. Off to the side watching the scene unfold was Kobashikawa-san, Eoh-kun, Rokuhana-san, Asayoru-san and Sakairi-kun. Naruse-kun was using all of his brute strength to try and break down the door but there seemed to be no effect.**

Naruse: [face contorted in anger] WHY WON’T THIS DAMN THING GIVE?

Asayoru: [concerned look] Naruse-kun, please stop!

Naruse: [face contorted in anger] SHUT UP!

Sakairi: [sneering] What, the doors too much for you? That why you can’t break ‘em down?

Rokuhana: [glaring over glasses] Sakairi-kun, provoking him isn’t helping.

Sakairi: [lip curled up in a snarl] Don’t fucking use such friendly honorifics with me.

Eoh: [arms crossed, looking away] This entire situation is getting ridiculous.

???: You said it, buddy!

Eoh: [widened eyes] Eh?

Monokuma: [angrily leaning forward] This _is_ ridiculous! I turn my back on my lovely students for five minutes and they start trying to destroy my property!

Sakairi: [eyes narrowed] They? It was all Naruse, none of us were doing anything.

Naruse: [disgusted look] Shut the fuck up.

Monokuma: [baring claws angrily] Semantics! You better listen up, Naruse-kun! You’ve already seen what’ll happen if you get on my bad side, so cut it out!

Rokuhana: [face blue in fear] Y-You mean you’ll kill him?

Monokuma: [paw behind head] Of course I do.

Asayoru: [concerned look] Please don’t continue, Naruse-kun.

Naruse: [face contorted in anger] I’ve had just about enough of listening to a fuckin’ bear tell me what and what not to do.

**And just like that, Naruse-kun reared his arm back. Was he...? Was he about to punch Monokuma?! No way, we already know what happens if you try and hurt him! We can’t let him attack that bear!**

Kobashikawa: [sweating nervously] You idiot, what the fuck!

Asayoru: [shocked expression] Naruse-kun, don’t--!

Otonokouji: NARUSE-KUN!

**And before I could even think about what I was doing, my legs were carrying me forward. All I knew was that I couldn’t let him do this. I had enough time to get there, I just had to run! Running as fast as I could, I reached out for Naruse-kun.**

Asayoru: [shocked expression] Otonokouji-kun!

**I only had a brief moment to wonder why Asayoru was so concerned about me. Before I knew what was going on, I was suddenly going in the opposite direction. Hitting the ground with a hard thud, I saw stars. Staring upwards at the ceiling, I still couldn’t quite process what had just taken place. Why did my face hurt? Why was everything spinning?**

Asayoru: [concerned look] Otonokouji-kun!!

**What? Why were they crowding me? I wanted to ask them why they were starting to line up all around me, but before I could, everything went dark and I fell into the depths of unconsciousness.**

 

mystery theater

-hey, are you listening? i know you forgot me, but i’m still here.-

-what’s it like for you now? it’s been so long.-

-are you doing okay? i hope you are.-

-we should meet again someday, if you can. i’d like that.-

-oh, but you have your own life to get back to.-

-sorry to keep you for so long.-

-goodbye for now.-

 

???: Ah, is he coming to?

???: Looks like it.

???: ‘Bout damn time. Geez, can’t even take a punch...

???: Shut it, Sakairi.

Sakairi: So pushy...

???: Hey. Otonokouji-kun, can you hear me?

???: Wake up, please.

**Had I been unconscious? It was like there was a thick fog coating my mind, I couldn’t quite think straight. What had just happened? I was having trouble remembering...**

???: God, does Naruse-kun hit that hard?

???: I mean, look at him, he’s totally out of it!

**Huh? Naruse-kun... hit me?**

 

[[flashback]]

**And just like that, Naruse-kun reared his arm back. Was he...? Was he about to punch Monokuma?! No way, we already know what happens if you try and hurt him! We can’t let him attack that bear!**

Kobashikawa: [sweating nervously] You idiot, what the fuck!

Asayoru: [shocked expression] Naruse-kun, don’t--!

Otonokouji: NARUSE-KUN!

**And before I could even think about what I was doing, my legs were carrying me forward. All I knew was that I couldn’t let him do this. I had enough time to get there, I just had to run! Running as fast as I could, I reached out for Naruse-kun.**

[[end flashback]]

 

**Right... Yeah, that’s right! Naruse-kun was about to hit Monokuma, but I ran forwards and tried to stop him. I guess he saw me coming and threw the punch at me instead. Which is a better alternative, I guess, but given how badly my head hurts, I’m not inclined to particularly enjoy this outcome.**

???: I’m kind of worried, he’s taking a while to wake up...

???: He’s probably okay, it was just a punch, right?

???: I’ll rest more easily once he’s awake and talking.

**Spurred on by the words I was picking up through the haze in my head, I let my eyes drift open. Leaning over me was Makabe-san. I stared upwards in slight confusion and watched as her eyes widened. She looked away from me and spoke very hastily to the room.**

Makabe: [eyes wide] He’s awake!

Otonokouji: Makabe...san..?

Makabe: [patient smile] Otonokouji-kun, are you feeling alright?

Otonokouji: My head hurts...

Sumeragi: [relieved sigh] He doesn’t seem to have suffered much damage.

Sakairi: [eyes looking left, smirking] He wouldn’t have suffered any damage if he wasn’t so thick.

Makabe: [stern look] That’s enough.

Sakairi: [arms crossed, pouting] I’m not wrong.

Koyasunaga: [irritated side glance] Will you shut up?

Yozora: [raising index finger] Hey hey, so Tsurugi-chan is okay?

**I was punched by Naruse-kun, define “okay”...**

Asayoru: [hand over heart] Thankfully, he is.

Oogane: [eyes closed] Serves him right.

Otonokouji: I’m right here, you know...

Oogane: [looking away] ...

**Now that I’m thinking about it, I wasn’t awake to see what happened after I was hit. Sudden curiosity overtook me and I felt the burning urge to ask. What could’ve taken place after that blow landed? I sat up and for the first time actually noticed that I wasn’t in the entrance hall anymore. I was in the cafeteria. I guess they moved me after I was knocked out cold. Seems Sumeragi-kun was successful in gathering everyone, but something was bugging me.**

Otonokouji: Hey... Where’s Naruse-kun?

Kobashikawa: [sweating nervously] Yeah, about that.

Otonokouji: What? He didn’t get killed by Monokuma, right?!

Sumeragi: [stony expression] No, he didn’t. He’s alive. He just refuses to associate with us, to put it lightly.

Otonokouji: Well... At least he didn’t get himself killed on us.

Sumeragi: [relieved sigh] Indeed, that is a plus.

Otonokouji: Er, so how long was I out...?

Isogai: [steepling fingers nervously] A-ah, at least two hours..

Otonokouji: Eh?! Did I really get hit that hard?!

Kobashikawa: [looking away] Dude’s got some fuckin’ muscle on him.

Eoh: [disgusted look] I would’ve hoped such a brute would understand his place and not stir trouble, but it seemed exceptionally unavoidable with this wretch.

Rokuhana: [adjusting glasses] You sure do fancy putting others down.

Eoh: [arms crossed, one eye open] Hm? Am I supposed to sit idly and let others trample over me like Otonokouji has?

**Thanks for that, Eoh-kun...**

Otonokouji: So Naruse-kun won’t be joining us.

Makabe: [eyes closed, bowed slightly] That is correct. He has made it clear that he prefers seclusion.

Izuno: [disappointed frown] Izuno-chan wanted to make friends with everyone...

**She’s started referring to herself in the third person? Huh. Guess we all have different ways of coping.**

Sumeragi: [adjusting collar] Well, I believe we have delayed the purpose of our meeting here long enough. [intense stare] Everyone, your electroIDs if you would.

Oogane: [finger to chin] Are we going over the rules?

Sumeragi: [eyes closed] We are.

**And so, on his word, we all pulled out our electroIDs and opened up the Rules tab. I was actually a little curious as to what kind of restrictions and limitations would be placed upon us by the bear. As the screen popped up with the first rule, I silently read over them as Sumeragi-kun said them aloud for everyone to follow along.**

 

_Rule #1: The communal life has no set end date and will continue indefinitely._

_Rule #2: The period of time between 10 PM and 7 AM is considered “nighttime,” and the auditorium will be locked during these hours._

_Rule #3: Violence against Monokuma is prohibited._

_Rule #4: Students are allowed to investigate the HQ as they see fit, with little restriction._

_Rule #5: To leave, a student must successfully get away with murdering a classmate._

_Rule #6: A “body discovery announcement” will go off when three or more students discover a body._

_Rule #7: After a body has been discovered, students will be given a short period of time to investigate the murder before a class trial is held._

_Rule #8: If the culprit is found guilty, they will be punished accordingly._

_Rule #9: If an innocent is found guilty, then the culprit goes free and everyone else is punished._

_Rule #10: Monokuma will not interfere with or aid with any murders._

_Rule #11: Destroying HQ property is prohibited._

_Rule #12: Breaking the rules will result in punishment._

_Rule #13: More rules may be added at Monokuma’s discretion._

 

Otonokouji: Well... At least we can be certain that Monokuma won’t harm us unless we break rules...

Asayoru: [thoughtful look] And this would explain Naruse-kun’s close call. Rules #3 and #11, I mean.

Kobashikawa: [shocked expression] Shit, you’re right! [grimacing] That hot-headed brat should’ve read the damn rules before acting up...

Sumeragi: [sighing] A lot of things should have been done beforehand, but there is no way to go back and change them. [serious look] The most we can do now is follow the rules we’ve been given and hope to find a way out.

Sakairi: [rolls eyes] Yeah, sure.

Koyasunaga: [pushing glasses up with middle finger] Is it your mission to be a prick about everything?

Sakairi: [wide grin] Maybe~!

**Maybe I was overestimating this guy when I said it seemed like he came off as someone who was trying to force the asshole persona...**

Isogai: [steepling fingers nervously] S-Sakairi-kun, please don’t be r-rude...

Sakairi: [wide eyes] Eh? [tugging on collar nervously] ...

Makabe: [hand raised to lips] It cannot be enforced as a rule, but can I suggest that we eat breakfast and dinner as a unit?

Asayoru: [smiling pleasantly] That’s a splendid idea, Makabe-san.

Sumeragi: [eyes closed, content smile] Yes, I agree. [neutral look] If the rest of you are okay with this, we will be putting this proposed rule into action.

**With the mumbles from the crowd of students all standing around, it seemed there was no dissent to the idea from anyone. Just like that, we had collectively agreed that we would eat together. Granted, this consensus was reached without Naruse-kun, but if he wished to isolate himself from us then there was no real way to stop him.**

Imada: [looks left} ... [blank stare] Are we to prepare our own meals?

Tokuoka: [slight smirk] What, are you offering to be our chef?

Imada: [annoyed look] ...

Tokuoka: [holding left arm, bored look] Geez, learn to take a joke dude.

Izuno: [leaning forward, using hand as visor] Oh! Oh!! Izuno-chan can cook for you guys! [bright grin, fingers on cheeks] Izuno-chan has a big family, she’s experienced with making food for lots of people!

Asayoru: [pleasant smile] Ah, I’d feel bad if you had to do it all on your own, so I’ll help out.

Izuno: [arms in the air] Yay!! Asayoru-chan will help!

Sumeragi: [eyes closed, content smile] This is exactly the kind of peace I’d like to strive for within our group. [raising index finger] Then it’s settled! We’ll reconvene here at about seven o’clock every day for dinner, and meet for breakfast at seven every morning.

Izuno: [bright grin, fingers on cheeks] Hey hey, Asayoru-chan! Let’s go check out the kitchen stock and decide what to make tonight! Izuno-chan’s really excited!!

Asayoru: [awkward smile] I-I can tell.

**Izuno-san practically dragged Asayoru-san into the kitchen in back while we watched with an air of amusement. Peering up at the wall clock, I saw that there was still a few hours left before we were to have dinner together. I could probably spend some time about while I waited. There’s not much to do around, but I suppose it could be worse.**

**I returned to my room for a bit. I already gave the place a once-over, but just to be thorough, there was absolutely something I had to check above all else. I was a little apprehensive and just a tad bit nervous, but I could do it! I braced myself, hoping for the best as I put my all into this further assessment. Deep breaths, deep breaths... Okay, here goes nothing!**

Otonokouji: Oh, thank god, the bed _is_ comfortable.

**Call me silly, but that was a worry of mine. Once my inspection of the bed had met all the proper criteria and had no need for further evaluation, I made my way over to the dresser that had the puzzles on it. I can’t just leave a perfectly good Rubik’s cube unsolved! Speeding through it like nothing, I made quick work of the cube and sat it back down. Feeling quite satisfied, I set it back down on the dresser and hummed as I walked out of my room with an added bit of pep to my step.**

**Hmm, I actually still have some time before we’re supposed to meet back up in the cafeteria. Perhaps I could hang out with someone for a little bit?**

 

**FREE TIME START!**

 

**I spent a good few moments wandering around in search of something to do. Or at least, someone I could talk to for a bit. Seemed quite a few of us went into hiding after the cafeteria meeting. I was starting to get a little discouraged about not finding anyone when my luck turned. Sitting at the table in the break room was Imada-kun. He had a bag of pretzels, presumably from the vending machine. He paid me no mind until I walked up to him.**

Imada: [blank stare] Hm? Do you need something?

 

**Should I spend time with Imada-kun?**

 

 **Yes** / No

 

Imada: [looks left] ... [blank stare] I have no reason to decline.

**I spent some time sitting at the table with Imada-kun, mostly in silence. There wasn’t very much to say between either of us, just a nice and relaxing sit in uncomfortable and awkward silence. Yep. I was hoping the time spent with him would warm him up to the idea of being more social, but it was clearly going to take more of a nudge than just existing at the same table as him.**

**I’m not entirely sure, but I at least think we grew closer...**

Imada: [eyes closed] You certainly are resilient.

Otonokouji: Eh?

Imada: [looks left, arms crossed] Usually most people give up by now. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I’m not exactly the most talkative and friendly person.

Otonokouji: I’ve noticed.

Imada: [blank stare] But you don’t seem discouraged in the slightest. [looks left] A lot of people give up on conversating with me when they realize how distant I am from it all. [eyes closed] If I may be presumptuous, are you looking to change that maybe?

Otonokouji: Wait, what? What would make you think--

Imada: [looks left] That’s just the type of person you seem to be. Someone who doesn’t like that a classmate of his could be so distant and asocial, so you think that acclimating him to being in social settings will help change what you perceive as a personality flaw.

Otonokouji: W-Well...

**When he says it like that, I kinda feel bad for wanting to help the guy out...**

Imada: [looks left, hand raised] Don’t bother. I’m already quite acclimated to social situations.

Otonokouji: You...are...?

Imada: [blank stare] Yes. [looks left] In fact, I first got noticed in school because of something social.

**Something social in school that he could get noticed for? Imada-kun must be talking about...**

 

A talent show / A spelling bee / A school festival

 

**Answer: A school festival**

 

Otonokouji: Hmm... Did you get noticed at a school festival or something?

Imada: [eyes closed, head bowed slightly] Yes. Our class did not know what to do for the festival, so I personally put together an escape room. We were the most liked event and my classmates were all happy with me for the work I did.

Otonokouji: Wow. That’s such an amazing thing to do, to pull your class back from the brink of having nothing to showcase.

Imada: [looks left] I’ve been told it’s been something to be proud of, but I take no fancy in the event myself.

Otonokouji: Eh? Why not?

Imada: [eyes closed] I was a novice, with no real experience in putting together such an event. It was not without its flaws and did not have the proper care put into it. [looks left] It was not a room worthy of the Imada name.

**I see. So he looks down upon his early work as it does not live up to the standard he’s built for himself. I can’t say that that’s the best way to view it, as without the early work he would never have gotten to where he is now. I suppose it’s doing no good just remaining as a thought in my head, though.**

Otonokouji: You know, Imada-kun, even if you view your early work as not worthy of being under your name, that doesn’t mean you should discard it.

Imada: [blank look] What do you mean?

Otonokouji: Well... You had to start somewhere, right? Without the first rooms you ever did, you would not have learned from the areas you failed in to better the rooms yet to come. While I can’t stop you from disowning them, you should at least not discard them entirely as they were an important step in you developing into the creator you are now.

Imada: [surprised look] ... [arms crossed, eyes closed] I... suppose you are correct.

Otonokouji: Really, you should give yourself some more credit. I can’t say with certainty as I never experienced them, but I’m sure that even with flaws, your early rooms still had the flair that your later rooms do, they just hadn’t reached their full potential yet. Always keep past failures in mind when moving forward, because you otherwise won’t advance very far.

Imada: [eyes closed, soft smile] You speak like a leader.

Otonokouji: H-Huh?

Imada: [index finger raised, thoughtful expression] I mean it. You speak like a leader. You just encouraged me to be a better me almost entirely unprompted. I hadn’t even entertained the thought of appraising my situation the way you suggested until you said it. [looks left] May I offer advice of my own?

Otonokouji: Um, s-sure.

Imada: [scrutinizing stare] Don’t lose sight of yourself and that leader-like quality you possess.

Otonokouji: What? What do you mean?

Imada: [looks left] In this situation, it is easy to lose yourself. One can get so overwhelmed by all the disturbing possibilities that they could be killed that they may morph into a killer themselves. You have capabilities of someone fit enough to lead others back onto the path. I simply request that you try not to let the situation discourage you to keep that quality intact.

**With that, Imada-kun got up from the table we were sitting at and left. I watched him go, thinking about the words he’d left me with. Me? Fit to lead a group? Never in a million years did I expect to hear anyone say that of me. I’m not the leader type! That role is much more in tune with someone along the lines of Sumeragi-kun than me. But, I suppose if that’s his opinion, it’s no use to try and fight it. He’ll believe what he wishes to believe, regardless of whether or not I actually like that he does.**

**In any case, I do feel that after that conversation, I have a better understanding of Imada-kun.**

**After glancing at the wall clock while getting up, I noticed that it was almost seven o’clock--time to head to the cafeteria for dinner.**

 

**FREE TIME END**

 

**Making my way out of the break room, I spent the short walk down to the cafeteria thinking about the day’s events. It had certainly been quite the crazy day so far. Waking up in an unfamiliar location with other teenagers I’d never met before. Being told that I was trapped here and could not leave without murdering someone else. Trying to stop a rather explosive guy from getting himself killed, only to get myself punched in the face hard enough to leave me out cold for a few hours. Today certainly was a day for the scrapbooks.**

**It wasn’t that long before I got to thinking about home. Did anyone realize we were gone yet? Does my family even know that I’m not where I’m supposed to be? Has Hope’s Peak Academy realized that it’s incoming freshman class isn’t even there?**

**Thoughts like these continued to stumble through my head, swirling and twisting around as they wrenched my stomach like it were putty. I suddenly didn’t feel very good about anything. Worry began to seep into my bones. Is it possible for us to be rescued without incident if they haven’t realized we’re gone yet? At this point, I was beginning to go over the possibilities and all the scenarios my brain could conjure up that it considered most likely to happen. None of which were that reassuring. But just as quickly as my mind began to wander, I remembered what I had just been told.**

 

[[flashback]]

Imada: [index finger raised, thoughtful expression] I mean it. You speak like a leader. You just encouraged me to be a better me almost entirely unprompted. I hadn’t even entertained the thought of appraising my situation the way you suggested until you said it. [looks left] May I offer advice of my own?

Otonokouji: Um, s-sure.

Imada: [scrutinizing stare] Don’t lose sight of yourself and that leader-like quality you possess.

Otonokouji: What? What do you mean?

Imada: [looks left] In this situation, it is easy to lose yourself. One can get so overwhelmed by all the disturbing possibilities that they could be killed that they may morph into a killer themselves. You have capabilities of someone fit enough to lead others back onto the path. I simply request that you try not to let the situation discourage you to keep that quality intact.

[[end flashback]]

 

**Imada-kun was entirely right when he said that. Letting my mind wander like that would certainly do me no good in this situation. Besides, it’s way too early to be calling it quits and giving up! With renewed vigor, I approached the double doors to the cafeteria and pushed them open. Waiting inside was my classmates, all seated at the different tables as the sounds of light chatter filled the air. Everyone was present, aside from the obvious Naruse-kun, as well as Izuno-san and Asayoru-san. The latter two I could assume to be in the kitchen preparing dinner, but who knows what Naruse-kun could be up to right now.**

**I stared around at the seats surrounding me, wondering just where I could go to sit. It seemed everyone was already beginning to branch off into smaller groups of people they feel more comfortable with. Well, aside from Eoh-kun and Imada-kun though, who were sitting alone. After spotting me eyeing the tables, Sumeragi-kun waved me over. He was sitting with Makabe-san, Koyasunaga-san and Tokuoka-san. Not one to just ignore an offer I’ve been given, I took the seat directly across from him.**

Otonokouji: Hey guys.

Makabe: [head tilted, concerned look] Are you feeling any better?

Otonokouji: Hm? O-Oh, I guess I am. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.

Koyasunaga: [hands on suspenders] Well, that’s good to hear. He sure did a number on you.

Tokuoka: [amused grin] No kidding.

Sumeragi: [holding hands up] Ah, I’m sure that’s not necessary, Tokuoka-kun.

Tokuoka: [wincing] Don’t do that.

Sumeragi: [taken aback] Eh?

Tokuoka: [wincing] Don’t use the honorific -kun on me. It’s an honorific generally used for male friends, and I identify as nonbinary. Just -san will do, Sumeragi-kun.

Sumeragi: [bowing] A-ah, sorry, Tokuoka-san.

**Sumeragi-kun looked troubled after making that mistake, like he was internally cursing himself. After my earlier talk with him, I wasn’t inclined to disagree with that assessment either.**

Otonokouji: Ah, I’m sure it’s okay, Sumeragi-kun. You didn’t know.

Sumeragi: [looking down] ... [forced smile] Yes, of course.

Makabe: [hand raised to lips] Well, regardless, I must say it is quite nice. Despite our unusual circumstances, we can sit down and enjoy a meal together.

Koyasunaga: [eyes closed, wide grin] Yeah, yeah! [finger on chin] Hey, speaking of, d’you think Asayoru-san and Izuno-san are almost done back there?

Makabe: [bowing slightly] I’m sure if we give them a bit more time, they’ll be out.

**As if they overheard what we just said, the door to the kitchen burst open with a jovial yell of “Yahoo!” from Izuno-san. She wasted no time in pulling out a cart filled with bowls and silverware. Humming a happy little tune as she worked, she worked on serving half of us while Asayoru-san made a much more calm appearance with another cart filled with bowls.**

**Asayoru-san was the one who made it to our table. She calmly and precisely set out bowls of food in front of each of us, and I won’t lie, the smell was absolutely amazing. We each got one bowl of oyakodon and a bowl of miso soup for a side. The aromas of the chicken and egg wafting from the rice bowl reminded me of just how hungry I had been. But, in order to be polite, I waited until Izuno-san and Asayoru-san had gotten their own bowls and sat down at tables. I wasn’t at all surprised to see Asayoru-san join us at ours.**

Sumeragi: [patient smile] Well then, let’s eat, everyone.

**We didn’t need much more encouragement than that, we were all hungry. I don’t know what my expectations were, but damn, I was entirely surprised by what I put into my mouth. Izuno-san had told us that she had experience with cooking for a lot of people, but she never mentioned that her cooking was good! Man, I was practically able to forget all of the day’s troubles because of how good it was! I promise it’s not unusual to forget your problems for a brief moment because of how good the food you’re eating is.**

Otonokouji: Wow! Izuno-san, Asayoru-san, this oyakodon is really good!

Asayoru: [happy smile] Really? Izuno-san did a lot of the work, but I’m glad you like it.

Tokuoka: [wide grin] No kidding, this stuff’s great. [fists raised] Way better than that cup noodle stuff I’m so used to.

Sumeragi: [nervous smile] I-Is that all you eat..?

Makabe: [bowing respectfully] I must thank you both for this most delicious meal.

Izuno: [eyes closed, bright grin, fingers on cheeks] Wow wow!! Izuno-chan’s so happy that you guys like her cooking!

Rokuhana: [adjusts glasses] Like? I’m sure it’s more on the nose of adore, rather.

Izuno: [leaning forward, starry-eyed] Whoa, really?! Izuno-chan’s flattered!

Oogane: [puffed up cheeks, thumbs up] Thhnk yhh..!

**Trying to talk with your mouth full...? That’s kinda gross...**

**After that short little exchange, we all went back to eating our dinner. After we finished up, Sumeragi-kun suggested that we all clean our own dishes rather than having Izuno-san and Asayoru-san do all the work all the time. We all agreed, some of us begrudgingly, but the consensus was that we’d do our own dishes. I personally wanted to because I didn’t want to give them more work than they already had, but I feel like the few who only agreed begrudgingly just didn’t want to out of laziness or something.**

**Once we had all pretty much finished up, people started streaming into the kitchen to take care of their dishes and most didn’t stick around after that. Almost everyone had filed out of the cafeteria, save for one person I didn’t seem to be able to get rid of. That person, of course, would be Sumeragi-kun. He seemed to be lingering behind to monitor the stragglers, making sure they cleaned up after themselves. Once he noticed that I was still here, he made his way over to speak to me.**

Sumeragi: [patient smile] I believe that everything did turn out rather well, so I’d like to thank you for trying your best to help me earlier. [looking away] I just feel bad about the incident with Naruse-kun...

Otonokouji: Hey now, that’s not your fault. You had no idea that I would run into that particular incident, you know? Naruse-kun just acted as Naruse-kun does, and you can’t fault yourself for me getting involved. I wasn’t exactly going to let him get himself killed for attacking Monokuma. I’m sure you would’ve done the same had you been the one there instead of me.

Sumeragi: [looking down] Yes... [calm smile] Yes, you are correct. [neutral look] I am sorry for taking such a negative stance. It’s really unbecoming of a class representative.

Otonokouji: N-No really, you don’t have to say things like that...

Sumeragi: [index finger raised] There’s no need for comments like that, Otonokouji-kun. I have discovered that the trick to being an effective class representative is to take oneself out of the picture so that you may focus on others.

 **...That, that** **_really_ ** **doesn’t sound healthy! However, it doesn’t seem like trying to point this out will have any effect on Sumeragi-kun. He’s already rather determined to continue with his own pet theory to stop and consider the damage that self-sacrifice is causing to him. I guess I have no choice but to let it go for the moment, though.**

Otonokouji: A-Alright, whatever you say.

Sumeragi: [eyes closed, smiling] Thank you for understanding where I am coming from, Otonokouji-kun.

**And just like that, a new staple of our everyday life was suddenly introduced to us.**

 

_Ding-dong, ding-dong._

 

*bzz-rrpt!*

Monokuma: Attention, students!

Monokuma: The time is now 10 P.M. As such, Night Time is now in effect.

Monokuma: Have pleasant dreams, everyone!

 

Sumeragi: [wide eyes] Huh? It’s already that late? [hands on hips, looking down] We must’ve wasted a lot of time having idle conversation during dinner.

Otonokouji: Not that that’s a bad thing, though. It’s good that we wasted the time forging bonds with each other, right?

Sumeragi: [facing sideways, hand on chin] Yes, yes, you are correct. If we are conversing with one another and strengthening these new bonds, we have a higher chance of people not trying to follow Monokuma’s killing directive as they’ve become too attached to each other.

Otonokouji: Yeah, see, it isn’t entirely a bad thing to waste time with each other like we did today.

**As solid as his logic is, it’s still terribly morbid.**

Sumeragi: [facing sideways, hand on chin] Hmm, and if we work off of that knowledge, then we can only assume that to further everyone’s relationships with each other, the likeliness of a murder will decrease even further. So, if this is in fact the case, then we must take every possible measure we can to stage social events, no?

Otonokouji: R-Right.

Sumeragi: [pointing at Otonokouji] Otonokouji-kun! I hereby announce you as my right hand man! I would like for you to help me in my endeavor to strengthen individual relationships as well as our group dynamic as a whole!

Otonokouji: Right hand man?! I mean, I’m not saying no to the job, but isn’t that wording a little formal? We’re just high school students...

Sumeragi: [pointing at Otonokouji] I, the class representative, need an advisor and helper in this situation to help me with planning and organizing group functions. It is not inappropriate to name you accordingly with your role! Therefore, you have been appointed as my right hand man!

**Well, going by what you just said, you could’ve just called me an advisor...**

Otonokouji: Okay, I guess. Then, I’m your right hand man. Now, in any case, you said that our objective is to stage social events so that we can continue getting to know each other. What do you mean to suggest here? Do you want like, a simple party or something?

Sumeragi: [index finger raised] A party would in fact work! Although, it would be a little difficult to have that great of a party with what little we have. I’m sure that if we put our brains together and investigate the place more thoroughly, we can definitely come up with something to throw together that we can all enjoy together as a unit.

Otonokouji: Right, right. Should we discuss this more in detail tomorrow though? That night time announcement just now, I think it would be best if we slept on it and had a rested mind before going too in-depth into the planning phase of this.

Sumeragi: [facing sideways, hand on chin] But of course. If you would, I’d like to meet with you after breakfast. Come back to my room and we can discuss our options privately before we decide on anything concrete so that we have a firm grasp on what we’ll be putting into action.

Otonokouji: Of course. I’ll come see you then.

Sumeragi: [calm smile] Perfect.

**Sumeragi-kun turned to head out of the cafeteria, but he stopped on the way to the door and turned around after a brief second of hesitation.**

Sumeragi: [neutral look] Oh, and by the way. [patient smile] Thank you for helping me with this. Good night.

Otonokouji: Good night, Sumeragi-kun.

**With that, he parted. I watched as the door swung shut, and then collected my thoughts. Having a party would be difficult with what little resources we had here. I’m sure we could scrape something together, but it’d do us no good just relying on the two of us to put everything together from scratch. But, who could I even ask about finding something to liven up a party? Gah, this isn’t going to be as easy as setting up food and expecting it to be hailed as a great party, that’d be no different from a regular dinner. We’d really have to think to make it feel like a true get-together.**

**But, standing around and mulling things over is getting me nowhere. I guess I should just head back to my room already. Making my way out of the cafeteria, I trudged back to my room. It had been quite the long and... well, interesting day for certain. At this point, I just wanted to get some sleep. I feel like tackling this problem of a killing game and trying to keep everyone alive would be better handled after a nice rest. Making my way down the hall to my room, I unlocked the door and went inside. I could have sworn that just before I closed my door, I heard someone else open theirs, but I was too tired to really process the sound I had heard. Instead, I just went and got into bed.**

**Once under the covers, it was like all the exhaustion I didn’t even know I had hit me like a bus. It was hardly any time before I fell asleep. And boy, once I passed out, I was out cold.**

**I’m sure that with mine and Sumeragi-kun’s plan, everything will be okay.**

**Everything will turn out just fine.**

**I’m... sure of it...**

 

**We’ll all... get out of here together...**

 

**...**

 

**...Right?**

 

mystery theater

-oh, how the hours pass so fleetingly.-

-it feels like almost no time has passed at all, wouldn’t you agree?-

-but no matter how slowly we perceive events to pass...-

-it’s almost like they pass in the blink of an eye, looking back.-

-time is funny like that. but really, it’s quite important.-

-i cannot say for certain what things are like for you now.-

-but i know that for me, seconds passing is like a ticking timebomb.-

-i hope that your situation is better than my own.-

-i would hate to see you in the shoes that i am in now.-

-but...-

-i’m almost positive we’ll meet again, someday.-

-so keep your chin up and pull through.-

-and i’m sure that with time, you’ll remember.-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead! Sorry, sorry, life stuff was making it really hard to find motivation to work on this but I did manage to finally get the chapter done! There will be a few free time events coming up shortly, so please vote for who you would like to see get a free time event! I'll try and get the next part written and posted as soon as I possible can!


	3. Chapter One: Like Fire In My Soul (Ab)normal Days, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took too long! I've been stressing over senior year and life takes precedence over writing! I can say that chapter one is entirely planned and ready to be finished, though!
> 
> I have a discord server for this fangan now! Please bully me to write this.
> 
> https://discord.gg/Qq8BvT6

**My dreams weren’t very pleasant that night. Not that you’d expect to have very nice dreams in a situation like this. It seems the only mental images my subconscious could conjure were of my friends giving in to the game and killing each other. It was a blessing to finally wake up from those grisly sights. I guess my head just wanted me to suffer today.**

**By the time I woke up, I was still every bit as exhausted as I was when I went to sleep in the first place. Bad dreams must do that to you. I briefly considered just going back to sleep and trying to get my energy back, but then I remembered the promises I made to Sumeragi-kun. Not one to back out on a promise, I regretfully sat up. And when I did, I was greeted by an utter nuisance.**

 

_Ding-dong, ding dong._

 

_*bzz-rrpt!*_

Monokuma: Goood morning, everyone! Hope you all slept well!

Monokuma: 7 A.M. It’s a new day, so up and at ‘em!

 

**If that monitor never turned on again, it’d be too soon. Well, whatever, I’m not gonna get hung up on this. Got a busy day today, so I might as well get a move on. I made my way over to the bathroom to freshen up before heading out. I must’ve taken at least a good ten minutes under the hot water of the shower. It was comforting, especially with how sluggish I felt. I was okay after the punch when I came to, but now that I’ve slept on it, I had to deal with the dull aching in my face.**

**When I got out of the shower, I didn’t waste too much time on drying off. Facing myself in the mirror, I was greeted with a wonderful sight.**

Otonokouji: Oh, god dammit.

**Did I say wonderful? What I really meant was awful. Seems Naruse-kun’s punch had given me a black eye. That’s exactly what I needed right now! I can practically hear the taunts from Sakairi-kun, how I’m a total idiot for getting in his way. Not like I can help it though, since I don’t have any concealer or stuff like that to cover it up. Well, enough procrastinating, I need to head out before I miss breakfast.**

**Slipping out into the hallway, I didn’t get very far at all before I heard someone stopping me.**

Oogane: [wincing] Oh, christ.

Otonokouji: Yeah, I know, I know.

Oogane: [wincing] I’m not even gonna sugarcoat it, you look like hell.

Otonokouji: Believe it or not, I’ve noticed.

Oogane: [hand on head] Alright, I can’t just leave this. You can’t go in there looking like that.

Otonokouji: Look, I appreciate the concern, but it’s fine.

Oogane: [stern look] It really isn’t. It’s painfully obvious that your face took more of a pounding than a twink after happy hour.

**...What the hell is a twink? Actually, you know what, I don’t want to know. I’ll just let it slide for now. Leaving me with exactly no choice, Oogane-san threw the door to her room open and tugged me in. This was exactly the opposite of what I wanted to do right now, but she was a lot stronger than she looked. She practically heaved me through the doorway and closed it behind her.**

**In any case, now that I was here, I could now see what the room of someone else looked like. It actually wasn’t that different from my own, except for one particular detail. See, in my room, I had that space for puzzles and the like since I’m the Puzzler. However, here, I noticed right away that this room didn’t have that. Instead it had a large desk with an equally large mirror pressed up against a wall. The desk was absolutely littered with all kinds of makeup supplies. There were even boxes of supplies along the floor next to it.**

Oogane: [raised eyebrow] Checking out my supplies? I’m all stocked up.

Otonokouji: There’s so much stuff here, how do you ever keep track of it all?

Oogane: [hand behind head] Well, you get used to it. Kinda like muscle memory or something like that. I don’t really think about where stuff is, I just grab it.

Otonokouji: Huh. Well, it’s an impressive collection of stuff.

Oogane: [unamused frown] Yeah, and also not the reason why we’re here. Shut your gab and sit down.

**Well damn, you don’t have to be so pushy about it! Silently, I made my way to the seat in front of the mirror. Oogane-san, almost robotically, grabbed some concealer and different skin tone makeups. Leaning in close to examine my black eye and the skin around it, she was silent for a moment. Then without a word, she turned to her products, mixed a few things here and there and placed her brush to my skin. It didn’t take a very long time for her to get my eye coated. The brush tickled my skin as she applied the makeup. When she was done with the finishing touches, she turned me to the mirror.**

Oogane: [two thumbs up] Now that’s one damn good job if I do say so myself.

**I had to blink back my surprise as I saw that the bruise was as good as gone. It looked like it had never been there in the first place, in fact. Oogane-san really was quite skilled in this area.**

Otonokouji: Wow... If I didn’t know better, it’d be like I never got hit at all. You did a really good job, Oogane-san.

Oogane: [brush in hand, smiling] Why, thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated sometimes. So, you’re happy with the outcome?

Otonokouji: More than happy! I won’t have everyone fussing over me because of you. We... We don’t need that right now. I don’t want them worrying about me right now. Everyone’s got enough on their plates.

Oogane: [sympathetic smile] You know, you’re not half bad. [pouting] At least, when you’re not being an asshole.

Otonokouji: Alright, look, in my defense, you were the one who pulled the stunt to scare me.

Oogane: [clutching brush to chest] I said sorry, what the hell else do you want from me?

**And just like that, the mood had taken a dive. Maybe I should actually think through my actions before I do them. I’m so good at being logical with puzzle-solving, but I can’t even navigate how to not randomly be a dick to someone? Oogane-san doesn’t deserve that, I was just being petty!**

Otonokouji: Yeah, you’re right, I’m kind of an ass. Sorry ‘bout that.

Oogane: [eyes closed, sighing] Whatever. At least you apologized for it. Finally.

Otonokouji: Ah, thanks again for covering up this black eye by the way. It was really gonna bug me if everyone saw it.

Oogane: [looking away] No sweat, Otonokouji-kun. If it’s still there tomorrow morning, stop by and I’ll re-apply the makeup for you. Can’t have you running around stirring up more trouble with your injury.

**Why are you so concerned that I’m going to cause trouble? All I did was be petty! And I also accidentally hit you with a door. That’s not helping my case at all. Never mind.**

Otonokouji: Thank you, Oogane-san. I mean it.

Oogane: [sympathetic smile] You’re welcome. [pouting] Now get out of my room.

Otonokouji: Wha- _You_ dragged _me_ in here!

Oogane: [pouting] Out!

 **Geez... I’m gonna get whiplash from this one of these days. At her very forceful insistence, and I mean** _**very** _ **forceful, I left Oogane-san’s room. Once back in the hallway, I was greeted by Makabe-san leaving her room.**

Makabe: [hand raised to lips] Otonokouji-kun? What are you doing in Oogane-san’s room?

Otonokouji: Ah, that, I... Well, Oogane-san was putting makeup on me.

Makabe: [head tilted, finger to chin] Putting makeup on you?  
Otonokouji: I woke up this morning with a black eye from Naruse-kun’s punch. She offered to cover it with concealer.

Makabe: [calm smile] Ah, that was very polite of her.

Otonokouji: Yeah. Yeah, it was. I didn’t want to worry anyone with that so I’m glad she offered to conceal it.

Makabe: [calm smile] You’re very kind for being so concerned of our reactions. [head tilted] Are you headed to breakfast?  
Otonokouji: Ah, yeah I am!

Makabe: [eyes closed, calm smile] I’m most delighted to hear so. It pleases me to know my idea was well-received.

Otonokouji: Yeah. It might take some work with a few of us, but we’ll be a unit thanks to your suggestion! I promise!

Makabe: [bowing respectfully] Thank you for saying so. Now, shall we get going?

**I quickly assented and the two of us made the short walk to the cafeteria. It seems a few of us were already there. Sumeragi-kun was seated at a table, and I could hear the faint sounds of metal on metal coming from the kitchen. I assume that Izuno-san was already making food for everyone ahead of time so we could all eat when we arrived. Sumeragi-kun noticed us as we arrived and waved to us.**

Sumeragi: [soft smile] Good morning Otonokouji-kun, Makabe-san. I see the two of you have not forgotten our mutual agreement from last night.

Makabe: [bowing respectfully] Good morning, Sumeragi-kun.

Otonokouji: Morning.

Sumeragi: [soft smile] I trust you both slept well?

Makabe: [calm smile] But of course. I’d feared that this situation may bring about restless sleep, but rather I found it to be quite sound.

Sumeragi: Well, that’s good to hear. What of yourself, Otonokouji-kun?

Otonokouji: Eh? Oh, er.

**I can’t tell them that my dreams were full of horrifying imagery, it’s bad enough that I was already punched by Naruse-kun. Looks like I’ll have to lie, just like I am with this makeup.**

Otonokouji: My sleep was average, like Makabe-san’s.

Sumeragi: [hands clasped together, pleasant expression] Wonderful! I’m glad to know that you both were able to achieve sound sleep. [wavering smile] I’m sure some of the others were not as lucky as the pair of you.

Otonokouji: No, probably not.

**Haha, well, you see Sumeragi-kun...**

Makabe: [head tilted, eyebrows raised] Is Izuno-san already hard at work?  
Sumeragi: [awkward smile] Ah, yes... She was here before even I arrived. As far as I’m aware she got up before the announcement and dragged Asayoru-san along with her.

Makabe: [hand raised to lips, furrowed eyebrows] I admire her dedication, but... That just does not seem necessary.

Otonokouji: Well, I guess all we have to do now is wait on everyone else to show up.

**And so the three of us took our seats. I wanted to sit with some of the people I’d talked to less. It’s better to try and be friendly with everyone, you know? And so I waited for others to trickle in. It wasn’t long before I saw Eoh-kun enter and take his seat. He wasn’t exactly the most friendly, but it couldn’t hurt anything to ask right? With that in mind, I approached.**

Otonokouji: Ah, Eoh-kun, do you mind if I eat breakfast with you this morning?

Eoh: [dismissive expression] Yes.

Otonokouji: Yes I can sit here?

Eoh: [arms crossed, looking away] Yes, I do mind.

Otonokouji: Oh. Do you plan on avoiding the rest of us?

Eoh: [rolling eyes] You don’t seem to get it, do you? I’m only here to eat with the rest of you because you’re at least trying to keep some kind of order. Were we to divide, everything would plunge into chaos and one of us would end up dead.

Otonokouji: That’s...

Eoh: [hard stare] The truth. I’m here so we can resemble a civilized group, but do _not_ mistake me for a friend. Now, if you would, I’d like to remain alone.

Otonokouji: I... Okay, Eoh-kun.

Eoh: [arms crossed, looking away] Thank you.

**Eoh-kun is an odd person. It’s like he’s both trying to contribute to the group and trying to distance himself from it at the same time. But whatever, if he wants to be alone, who am I to intrude on him? Since the others were taking a while, I decided to just sit down at an empty table. I sat there for a good moment, just alone with my thoughts. I didn’t have to wait too long because just a minute or two later, a few more people came streaming into the room.**

Sakairi: [wide grin] Good morning, shitheads!

**Oh, good.**

Isogai: [biting thumbnail nervously] Ah, S-Sakairi-kun, p-please... Can we b-be nice today..?

Sakairi: [tugging on collar nervously] Sorry...

Isogai: [cheery smile] Th-Thank you, S-Sakairi-kun..!

Sakairi: [looking away, nervous expression] ...

**...Does Isogai-kun have him whipped or something? I’ve noticed that he only dials back the attitude if Isogai-kun is complaining. Jeez, has he already got a soft spot for one of us? That didn’t take very long. Pulling me out of my thoughts was the boisterous entry of Yozora-san.**

Yozora: [cupping hands at mouth] GOOOOOD MORNING!

Eoh: [disgusted look] Is that truly necessary?

Yozora: [fist pump, excited expression] Yes!! It’s a new morning, a new day, we gotta be pumped up and ready to face the world!!

Sumeragi: [nervous smile, holding up hands] Your enthusiasm is nice, Yozora-san, but--

Yozora: [holding finger to lips] Shh, but nothing, Romio-chan!

Sumeragi: [startled expression] Huh?  
Yozora: [raising index finger] If you don’t face the day with as much positivity as possible, what’s left to face the day with other than negativity? No, no, that’s just not an option! [fist pump, excited expression] So be happy! Face the day with positivity!!

**Well, that wasn’t something I expected to happen this morning. A start of the day motivational speech from Yozora-san? That came as a total surprise, but it was a welcome one. I’m glad to see that a lot of us are trying to keep positive, even if it’s in a very unusual manner in the case of Eoh-kun. Yozora-san hummed happily, strolling in and taking a seat at my table.**

Yozora: [eyes closed, huge grin] Hihi, Tsurugi-chan!

Otonokouji: Ah, good morning, Yozora-san. I’m happy to see you in such high spirits.

Yozora: [head tilted, double peace signs] Po-si-ti-vi-ty is my spe-cial-ty!

Otonokouji: I thought your specialty was stopmotion.

Yozora: [hand over mouth, wide eyes] Gasp! Tsurugi-chan, you’ve bested me!!

**...Did she just say gasp out loud?**

Yozora: [throwing hands up] How could I have let myself be defeated so easily??

**She actually followed this up by making sad trombone noises with her mouth. Yozora-san was a very interesting personality, and she kept me entertained like this as everyone else who would be on-time trickled in.**

Oogane: [two thumbs up] Morning, everyone.

Imada: [looking away] ...Hello.

Rokuhana: [slight smile] A pleasant morning to you all.

Koyasunaga: [hands on suspenders] Good morning, you guys.

**They all began taking their own seats, Oogane-san and Rokuhana-san joining myself and Yozora-san at our own table. I offered them a welcoming hello. We all sat there and chatted idly amongst ourselves until in walked the latecomers amongst our group.**

Tokuoka: [bored expression] Yo.

Kobashikawa: [rubbing an eye] ...Mornin’.

Sumeragi: [peaceful smile] Good morning, everyone. [raising index finger] That appears to be everyone who agreed to coming.

Yozora: [hand to chin, head tilted] Huh? But Torae-chan and Seina-chan aren’t here!

Makabe: [hand raised to lips] Ah, but they are. Asayoru-san and Izuno-san are in the back preparing our breakfast.

Kobashikawa: [fists clenched, excited expression] Hell yeah! I’m fuckin’ starved!

 **There was a murmur of agreement from everyone else. Despite all our dysfunction, despite Naruse-kun avoiding us like the plague, despite** _**everything** _ **... We were starting to look like a normal bunch. I couldn’t help but smile to myself as Kobashikawa-san led the chorus of everyone complaining out of hunger. It was amusing, to say the least.**

Rokuhana: [adjusting glasses] What are you smiling about, Otonokouji-kun?

Otonokouji: Oh, uh, it’s just kinda nice, don’t you think?

Rokuhana: [peering over glasses] What’s nice?

Otonokouji: The fact that we just really feel like a unit. It was kinda shaky at first, but it feels more like we’re a group this morning.

Rokuhana: [eyes closed, slight smile] Yes, you’re right. It seems we’re functioning a lot better together today.

**And that was the absolute truth. Now that we were all past that initial rocky patch, it meant we could work better in the future. Not only that, but with the plan Sumeragi-kun and I had, maybe we could put a stop to all this tension that had been building. Maybe we’d be okay.**

???: YAHOO!

**...Huh?**

Izuno: [wide grin] Breakfast time, you guys! Hope Izuno-chan didn’t keep you waiting for very long!

Kobashikawa: [hands behind head, eyes closed] ‘Bout fuckin’ time!

**Izuno-san came rolling in with a cart absolutely full of bowls. Trailing behind her – and looking absolutely exhausted – was Asayoru-san. Geez, Izuno-san must've gotten her up real early to start cooking for us... I feel kinda bad for her, even though this was something she wanted to do for us. Someone should've warned her about Izuno-san's excitement.**

Izuno: [leaning forward, fingers on dimples] Oooookay, everyone! Today, Izuno-chan the Breakfast Extraordinaire has prepared for you all... Tanuki udon! With help from her lovely assistant Asayoru-chan!

Asayoru: [face darkened with exhaustion] Y-Yes. Please... Please enjoy, e-everyone.

**Holy shit.**

Izuno: [hands clasped together] If you don't like udon, that's okay! Asayoru-chan and Izuno-chan would love to make you something else!

Asayoru: [face darkened with exhaustion] Ah... Of course...

**I couldn't help but spare a laugh as Izuno-san began passing out the bowls. Asayoru-san neglected to help in that department, rather she sat down and immediately laid her head upon the table. No amount of Sumeragi-kun's insistent prodding was enough to rouse her, she was out of it.**

Yozora: [puffed out cheeks] Oi, oi! Tsurugi-channn! No daydreaming or your food will get cold!

Otonokouji: Eh? Oh, you're right, I'm sorry.

Yozora: [holding up peace sign, wide grin] Noooo prob! If you didn't eat it, then I would!

Otonokouji: That's not nece--

Kobashikawa: [fists clenched, excited expression] Or I would! I ain't gonna let a single bite of food go to waste!

Otonokouji: Really, you guys, it's not necessary...

**We spent the next half hour eating our udon and making small talk amongst ourselves. It was nice, probably the most peace we'd seen since we woke up here. Again, I found myself wishing that Naruse-kun would show up. It's hard to unify everyone when one of us is so unwilling to participate. Even Eoh-kun is willing!**

**But I can't let this consume my thoughts or I'll go crazy over it. I should just focus on what's going on right now. Turning back to the people at my table, I found that they'd mostly finished off what they were eating. Everyone was looking particularly pleased with their meals, and I can't blame them. As it had happened, Izuno-san and Asayoru-san were very good cooks.**

Kobashikawa: [hands behind head] Maaaan, I'm stuffed! Y'all are the best!

Izuno: [bright grin, fingers on cheeks] Izuno-chan appreciates the compliments!

Asayoru: [rubbing at an eye] ...Yeah.

**She still hasn't recovered...**

Yozora: [arms held behind back] I'm super grateful we could all have a nice breakfast together! Even Ji-hyun-chan didn't make a fuss!

Eoh: [arm raised, offended look] Eh? What's that supposed to mean?!

Yozora: [leaning forward and left] Sooo... I think we're all besties now! For sure!

Eoh: [spluttering] H-hey! You insult and then ignore me?!

**Yozora-san descends into a fit of giggles while Eoh-kun gets huffy with her. The rest of us can only really watch it go down, mostly with amusement, but with some exasperation from Sumeragi-kun. After a few more minutes, Izuno-san comes back around with the trolley and takes all of our dishes. Once she rolls off back into the kitchen, Sumeragi-kun stands.**

Sumeragi: [closed eyes] So. We've made it through a day here. I'd say we've done a rather decent job of keeping things civil, aside from a very... [nervous look] _special_ case.

Sakairi: [sneering] Naru-shit.

Sumeragi: [sighing] Yes. Naruse-kun. [neutral stare] Regardless, I'd like to commend the rest of you for attending our proposed breakfast meeting. This course of action to keep everyone friendly until we can find a way for escape seems to be working well, so keep it up.

Sumeragi: [raising index finger] With that said, we will convene again for dinner this afternoon. I trust you all to attend with no incident. Let's have a day to relax, and we will put our heads together again tomorrow.

**With those words of release, everyone began to file out of the cafeteria. Well, all of us aside from myself and Sumeragi-kun. I hadn't forgotten about our planned meeting.**

Otonokouji: So-

Sumeragi: [hand raised] Not yet. Izuno-san is still taking care of the dishes.

**Sumeragi-kun turned and began walking to the kitchen door. He stopped, then turned back to me.**

Sumeragi: [eyebrow raised] Well? Are you not coming?

Otonokouji: O-oh!

**I hurriedly followed after to join him and Izuno-san in the kitchen. Seems like he wanted to help her out with the clean-up. Izuno-san seemed very grateful for our offer.**

Izuno: [eyes shining, hands under chin] For real? Yay! Grab a dish and get working, Izuno-chan always appreciates some diligent help!

Otonokouji: A-ah, yeah.

**Sumeragi got to work with no hesitation, clearly expecting me to do the same. I wasn't so much a fan of being roped into this against my will, but hey, I dirtied one of those dishes so I may as well help clean up. With a sigh, just to get across that I didn't want to be doing this, I grabbed some bowls and started cleaning.**

**The three of us spent the better half of an hour together, just cleaning up and chatting amongst ourselves. Izuno-san was even willing to reveal her dinner plans with us, a full course of foreign foods. As much as I appreciated knowing what dinner would be, I can't help but be a little resenting at being teased with the idea of delicious foods.**

**Even if I just ate.**

Izuno: [arms behind back, leaning forward] It's been real super fun having you guys help out! Izuno-chan really, really appreciates the help, especially after Asayoru-chan got too tired!

Sumeragi: [soft smile] It's no problem, Izuno-san. We are always free to lend a hand when you need one.

Izuno: [fists pumped] Thanks a ton, you guys! But Izuno-chan's got stuff she wants to do, so she's gonna go now!

**Without even waiting for neither a 'you're welcome' or 'goodbye,' Izuno-san bounded off out of the door. I couldn't imagine what she'd have to do that was so pressing, but I figured it's best to not ask questions. Left alone in the kitchen with Sumeragi-kun, he nodded towards the door and left. I had no choice but to follow.**

**He led me out of the cafeteria and back in the direction of the dorms. Ah, right, I'd nearly forgotten that he wanted privacy when we planned this. Upon unlocking the door, he ushered me into the room and quickly closed behind it. Just like that, I was introduced to the room of a student council president.**

**The room was not unlike my own in layout, although the decorating was different. Instead of being filled with an assortment of puzzle material, I can see different posters for classroom-related activities. They're all for a high school that I haven't heard of. I suppose it's his old school?**

**In a frame on the wall was a sash, like you'd see a hall monitor wearing. Other frames contained certificates of excellency, in both academic accomplishment and leadership. I can't say I'm surprised. He definitely gives off the model student vibe. After a few moments of letting me examine, he finally cleared his throat.**

Sumeragi: [index finger raised] Okay! Shall we get started?

Otonokouji: We need ideas for some kinda event, right?

Sumeragi: [pleased smile] Yes, that is the plan!

Otonokouji: I'll do the best I can to help, but I can't say I've ever done anything like plan a party before. Perhaps this would be a lot easier if we had a Super High-school Level Party Planner on our side, huh?

Sumeragi: [thoughtful look] Perhaps, if we were going for something on a grand scale. As class rep, I'm quite used to this sort of thing though. I've planned many functions for my class before.

Otonokouji: Geez, good thing we've got you then.

Sumeragi: [hand to mouth, laughing] I'm sure you'll do fine, Otonokouji-kun. Don't worry so much. [soft smile] Once we figure out just what we're planning, we can decide on set-up and make an experience that everyone can enjoy together.

**That'd be nice. It doesn't seem like we can set up very much right now though... I wish we had more to work with when it comes to planning. We could always use the auditorium for something... Maybe a talent show? No, then only a few people would get to participate since we can't all readily use our talents...**

Otonokouji: There aren't many ideas that I can think of that we can work with! This place is so friggin' small...

Sumeragi: [index finger raised] Then let's think about it like this. What areas do we have available to us that could potentially have some form of entertainment?

**Well, like I thought of a moment ago, the auditorium would be a great place to hold an event. But we still need to figure out that event. Really the only other place I can think of off the top of my head is the A/V room...**

**Wait a minute.**

**The A/V room has projector equipment in the closet. I'm certain that if we use that, we'd be able to set it up in the auditorium for a nice viewing party. Maybe something like some movies? Actually, do we even have any DVDs?**

Otonokouji: Uh, what about a movie night?

Sumeragi: [eyes wide] Ah, you're right! That is a splendid idea!

Otonokouji: Except, it'll be a little difficult if we don't have any DVDs...

Sumeragi: [waving hand] That may not be any trouble. Perhaps we should speak to some of the others, see if anyone has anything that could be of use. [soft smile] I'm sure one of our classmates could help in that department.

Otonokouji: Yeah... So, we're gonna try to do a movie night, then?

Sumeragi: [soft smile] That seems like the best option for the moment, yes. If we hit a roadblock that prevents it, we'll figure it out when we get there.

Otonokouji: Okay. I suppose I should go and see what I can get done, then.

Sumeragi: [hands clasped together, pleasant expression] That would be wonderful of you, Otonokouji-kun. I'll put in some work as well in the meantime. And, once again, thank you for helping me out. I really appreciate it.

Otonokouji: Any time, Sumeragi-kun.

**We said a few parting words and then I left his room. Back out in the hallway, I bumped into Tokuoka-san. They surveyed me, then looked past me at the room I had just come out of. Their gaze slowly came back to me and a mischievous grin spread across their face.**

Otonokouji: No.

Tokuoka: [grinning] What? I'm not gonna snitch to anyone. Your secret's safe with me.

Otonokouji: N-No! That's really not what's going on!  
Tokuoka: [grinning] Hey, no need to defend yourself, my man. I get it. We all need some kinda comfort right now.

Otonokouji: R-Really, that's not it!

Tokuoka: [turning away, hand raised] You don't gotta be so embarrassed about it, dude. See ya 'round.

**Geez, that's the second time today... Why does everyone keep jumping to conclusions?! Argh, whatever, I should do something useful with my day. I'm not really sure where I would even begin looking for some DVDs that we could all watch, so I kiiinda wanna procrastinate on that. Yeah, it won't hurt to wait until tomorrow to get that done. I'll just spend today having some free time, and then tomorrow can be a scavenging day.**

**I've got plenty of time to kill right now. Maybe I should hang out with one of my classmates?**

 

**FREE TIME START!**

 

**Well, I guess it was time to wander until I found someone who was down to hang out for a while. I hadn't really thought ahead for anyone specific, so I guess I'll just figure it out based on who's around. Off I went, with no particular destination in mind.**

**After a moment of wandering, I found myself in the lobby. Walking past the small office area, I was given the heart attack of the century when Yozora-san popped up from behind the window and shouted my name.**

Yozora: [arm raised, leaning left] Hihi, Tsurugi-chan!

 

**Seems like Yozora-san is excited to see me. Should I spend some time with her?**

 

 **Yes** / No

 

Yozora: [waving arms] Yay! C'mon, Tsurugi-chan, let's go have fun!

**With that, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me off. As it turns out, she wanted to go sit on the stage and talk my ear off about whatever she felt like talking about at the moment. I suppose it wasn't that bad, even if the conversation was heavily one-sided.**

**I'd feel safe saying that Yozora-san and I grew closer.**

Yozora: [fingerguns] And that's the list of 107 reasons why I think that American cartoons are really cool!!

Otonokouji: That was... very extensive, Yozora-san.

Yozora: [bowing] Thank ya, Tsurugi-chan!! I think! [neutral expression] … [finger on chin] Tsurugi-chan, do you think my talent's boring?

Otonokouji: Huh? That's a little out of nowhere. Er, no, I don't think your talent is very boring. Why do you ask?

Yozora: [brushing hair behind ear] Lotsa people have been saying that stopmotion is dead!! I've seen lotsa meanies talk about how stopmotion is ugly and dated and boring!! [holding arm, downcast expression] It kinda hurts to think that people would look down on what I do just because it's an older animation style.

Otonokouji: Oh, well, I'm sorry that you have to deal with people like that.

Yozora: [arms behind back, tilted head] It's not all bad though. Sometimes people are really sweet!! They appreciate the time and effort that goes into the process of making even a short animation!!

Otonokouji: Sounds like they're a much friendlier crew than the other people. More respectful.

Yozora: [fist pumping] Yeah!! It's really neat that there are people out there who love animation like I do!! Stopmotion has been getting some attention again lately, but it's not the only animation style that's been getting attention again!

**An older animation style that's been getting attention again recently? Could she be talking about...**

 

Anime / Rubber hose / Rotoscoping

 

**Answer: Rubber hose**

 

Otonokouji: Do you mean rubber hose animation? That's been making a comeback?

Yozora: [fist pumping] Yeah! It's really neat! It's kinda like a flash back to the past! And it hasn't even been limited to just cartoons or web shorts either, there's even an entire game out that was animated using rubber hose animation to capture the essence of the early 1900s cartoons!!

Otonokouji: Wow, you're right, that does sound neat.

**Now that I think about it, there's something that I couldn't help but wonder about Yozora-san...**

Otonokouji: Hey, just out of curiosity, is stopmotion the only type of animation that you've ever tried to do? Did you get your beginnings somewhere else, or has stopmotion always been your specialty?

Yozora: [leaning forward excitedly, fists to chin] Whoa, I'm glad you asked!! I'm totally a jack-of-all-trades animator! Every animation style is really fun to try out!! [neutral look] …

Yozora: [twirling lock of hair, looking away] B-But I'm not so great at the other styles...

Otonokouji: Well, hey, that's okay right? You don't have to be good at the other animation types, so long as you're having fun right? That's all that matters is that you love what you're doing.

**Surprisingly enough, at least to me, Yozora-san refuses to make eye contact after I say that. Did... Did I strike a nerve or something? Shit, I better say something to steer this conversation back on track before I drive her away. Otonokouji, you idiot..!**

Otonokouji: A-Ah, but then, I'd like to see your stopmotion sometime! It's definitely gotta be something if you're Super High-school Level at it!

Yozora: [looking away] Um, y-yeah, I'll show ya sometime...

**Oh, dear. She's lost practically all the energy that she usually displays.**

Yozora: [facing away] I, um, have to go now. I'll see you around, Tsurugi-chan.

**Well, at least she's still keeping up her first name habit. I can't help but wonder what made her so upset about what I said though... Guess there's no point in dwelling on it when she's already walking off. I guess I better go do something else, I've still got some time before it's dinner time.**

**I walk out of the auditorium and end up on a walk again. At this point, I'm considering just going back to my room and taking a nap, but that might mess up my sleep schedule. That's a battle that I really don't wanna have right now, so I'll just see what everyone else is up to.**

**As I head back into the lobby and round the corner to swing by the cafeteria, I collide messily with one of my fellow classmates.**

???: Ack!

**Shit. I lied there staring at the ceiling for a hot minute, letting the dull ache subside before sitting up. Rubbing my head, I looked to see who it was I'd bumped into. It turned out to be... Sumeragi-kun! Geez, it's almost like I'd just spent some time with him maybe half-an-hour ago.**

Sumeragi: [rubbing head] Ah, are you okay, Otonokouji-kun?

Otonokouji: Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?

Sumeragi: [holding hands up] No need to worry over me, I promise I'm alright.

**Well, I suppose while I've got him here...**

 

**Should I spend time with Sumeragi-kun?**

 

 **Yes** / No

 

Sumeragi: [wide eyes] You want to spend time with me? [bowing] I cannot say no to such a request. What shall we do?

**Sumeragi-kun and I spent some time in the lobby making small talk and poking fun at the light reading material that Monokuma had left us. Seriously, did he have nothing better to supply us than gossip rags?**

**I think Sumeragi-kun and I grew a little closer.**

Sumeragi: [index finger raised] I'm glad you asked to spend some time with me, Otonokouji-kun. As rewarding as being the class rep is, I'm not one for close friends because of it.

Otonokouji: Well, I can't imagine that... You're a very nice guy, why wouldn't you have close friends?

Sumeragi: [standing stiffly] As class representative, it is my duty to ensure that my classmates are in order and that the class itself is running smoothly. [looking left and down] It is because of my duty that I am often seen as nothing more than a teacher's pet.

Sumeragi: [pleasant smile] So that is why I treasure any and all time that I get to spend with my classmates.

Otonokouji: Oh geez, that's... That's terrible, Sumeragi-kun. You definitely deserve to have friends too.

Sumeragi: [neutral look] I don't mind it, really. Not having the distraction and constant obligation to hang out frees up my schedule, giving me plenty of time to see to my job. It is because of this that I have really been able to hone my talent.

Otonokouji: But still, friendless? That's certainly no way to live.

Sumeragi: [eyes closed, pleasant smile] I have you, do I not?

**Damn, that's really kinda sad... Now that I think about it, I seem to recall a conversation I had with him before about how he prioritizes his job over himself. I just didn't think it'd be bad enough to the point that he wouldn't even have any friends! Well, like he said, besides me. I need to help this dude out...**

Otonokouji: So, you attribute your success as a class representative to prioritizing the class over yourself and having a lack of friends?

Sumeragi: [hand raised to chin] Well, more than just those two things helped me along the way, but I will admit that those played a part in it, yes.

Otonokouji: What else is there that helped you out?

Sumeragi: [bright smile, index finger raised] Well, one of the best contributors to my success was diligent tutelage! I had help in the leadership department from one of the best people for the job!

**Help from someone who'd be the best in that area? I should know what he means...**

 

A former SHSL / A politician / An upperclassman

 

**Answer: A former SHSL**

 

Otonokouji: Did you get help from a Hope's Peak alumni?

Sumeragi: [bright smile] Not just any alumni, but my father. Surely you've heard of him?

**Eh? If his father was an alumni, then that means... I had to wrack my brain for a good minute, but as it turns out, I had heard the name Sumeragi before.**

Otonokouji: Your father is Sumeragi Eijirou? The former Super High-school Level Debater?

Sumeragi: [eyes closed, soft smile] Correct. He's a very intelligent man, I had much to learn from him and I still do. But he wasn't the only one to help me out. I don't know if I could've kept going if I hadn't had support from my older brother Mirio.

Otonokouji: Does he have a talent as well?

Sumeragi: [shaking head] No. But if we're lucky, we'll see him when we get out of here. He's only a year above us, studying in the reserve course.

Otonokouji: Wow... your family must be very dedicated to Hope's Peak.

Sumeragi: [starry-eyed] Indeed. It is truly the school of dreams! [wide eyes] Ah! I almost forgot that I had something to do! [bowing] I am terribly sorry, Otonokouji-kun, but I must depart now.

Otonokouji: Oh, there's no need to apologize, I don't mind.

Sumeragi: [pleased smile] Thank you again for spending some time with me. I enjoyed it.

**Sumeragi-kun gave me a wave of parting before he turned and left. I feel like I gained some more insight into him from that conversation. I'm not sure if I entirely understand the way that brain of his works, but that's alright. There will always be other chances to learn more about him and why he thinks the way he does.**

**Looking at the time, I found it was around the time that we should head to the cafeteria again for dinner. I guess I should go ahead and head down, then. Izuno-san said she was doing a foreign dish, right? With some extra pep in my step, I left the lobby for the cafeteria.**

 

**FREE TIME END**

 

**By the time that I had gotten to the cafeteria, I could hear Izuno-san toiling away at whatever she was making in the kitchen. I couldn't help but wonder if she had Asayoru-san in there with her. After the way she had looked this morning, I couldn't help but feel that Asayoru-san wouldn't be very excited about helping out anymore.**

**Honestly, I'm not sure I would be either. Izuno-san gives off the impression that she can keep a firm hand despite her cutesy demeanor.**

**Unlike this morning, everyone streamed in through the doors in a more timely manner. Only a few people arrived late. Once again, the entire group sans Naruse-kun was present and accounted for. However, just like this morning, we all gathered into our own little groups and made small talk again.**

**Just like this morning, we kept the peace.**

**After just ten minutes of us all being seated, out came Izuno-san with the cart again. Predictably, following her, was a very tired Asayoru-san. Honestly, at this point, I feel like she should just tell Izuno-san that the workload is too much for her... Regardless of Asayoru-san's state, Izuno-san launched into an excited frenzy again.**

Izuno: [hands clasped together] Okay, everyone! Izuno-chan and Asayoru-chan worked very hard to make you all a foreign dish today! [wide grin] So she and Izuno-chan made confit de canard! But there wasn't any duck, so Izuno-chan had to substitute pork! Hope that's okay!

**Okay? After just taking a bite, I felt that I should argue that it was more than just okay! It seems like I wasn't the only one who thought so either, because everyone was quite content to put their focus on the dish in front of them. After a moment of us all being amazed at the taste, the small talk resumed. I caught a glimpse of Sumeragi-kun staring at the group with a smile. The conversations we were all having were just silly and minuscule, but it felt important because it meant we were getting closer.**

Izuno: [curious expression] Where'd you get that, Tokuoka-chan?

Tokuoka: [bored look] Hmm? This bag of chips? The vending machine.

Izuno: [wide eyes] Eh? Izuno-chan thought Monokuma took everyone's money!

Tokuoka: [frown] He did. But then he started hiding coins around the place that we could use on the vending machine.

Izuno: [leaning left] Ooohhh! So that's how you got the chips! Izuno-chan gets it now!

**Tokuoka-san really loves those chips, huh?**

Sakairi: [sneering] I could probably make better food in my sleep.

Isogai: [biting thumbnail, pouting] S-S-Sakairi-kun, p-please don't ins-sult Izuno-s-san's cooking like th-that...

Sakairi: [looking away] ...

Isogai: [smiling softly] Th-Thank you.

Sakairi: [tugging on collar nervously] Yeah, whatever...

**And that's still going on, too? Dang, for being such an antagonistic dude, Sakairi-kun really is just a pushover.**

**After a half hour of us eating and talking, everyone had begun to finish up their portions and sat their dirtied dishes back on the cart. Izuno-san hummed a happy tune as she rolled the cart back into the kitchen. When she went, everyone began to stream back out of the cafeteria to enjoy what time we had left in the day. Though, just like this morning, Sumeragi-kun and I stayed behind to help with the dishes again.**

**Izuno-san was pretty thrilled to have us back to help once more, easily assigning the pair of us roles on the spot. Our work went pretty efficiently under Izuno-san's command, it took us nearly no time to finish. She thanked us pretty quickly and went off on her own. With no reason to stay behind, Sumeragi-kun and I also parted ways. I personally just wanted to spend the remaining hour until nighttime in my room, so I could get ready for bed and turn in early.**

**Sumeragi-kun and I had a lot to get done, after all.**

**With a whistle, I strolled into the dormitory hallway just in time to catch Naruse-kun outside of his room. I went to ignore him and head past, but it would seem that he had other plans for me.**

Naruse: [bristling] Not even going to offer a fuckin' hello?

Otonokouji: I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you wanted to be left alone.

Naruse: [baring teeth] Don't mistake this for some friendly shit, I just had something I needed to make sure you got through your thick fuckin' skull.

**With absolutely no warning, Naruse-kun had me backed up against the wall. He was built like a goddamn house, I had nowhere to go. He leaned down to get in my face, intense gaze locked on my own.**

Naruse: [face red in anger] Don't even for a fuckin' second think that I owe you any goddamn thing just because you stopped me from gettin' killed. [eyes narrowed] I'll tell you right now that shit like that won't fly.

Otonokouji: I don't expect anything from you anyway! Why don't you get out of my face already?

Naruse: [smiling darkly] I like when a kid fights back. Makes the beatdown much more enjoyable. Keep gettin' in my way and shit's not endin' well for you, punk.

**He looks like he's about to pull away for a second, then pauses. His eyes narrow as they rake over my face. Is he trying to assess damage? Maybe it's because of...**

Naruse: [eyes narrowed] Oh, there's no fuckin' way that my fist didn't leave a scratch. You definitely got bruised up.

**He reaches down slowly, and forcefully runs his thumb under my eye. The makeup smears easily under his touch. I can't see what it looks like now, but I'd bet anything that the bruise is showing now, based off that stupid grin on his face.**

Naruse: [smiling darkly] Yeah, that's what I fuckin' thought. What, a black eye too good for you? Fuck off, kid.

Otonokouji: Maybe I would if you would get out of my way?

**He stares at me for another tense few moments, then he stands back up to his full height and pulls away. Those piercing green eyes remain on me the whole time. At first, I think he's going to suddenly throw a punch or something to that effect, but he leaves me alone.**

Naruse: [disinterested look] Whatever. You're not worth my fuckin' time anyway.

**He doesn't wait for any sort of response before he walks off down the hallway, leaving me standing there against the wall. Shit. Did he really have to wipe at the makeup? _Dammit!_ I knew that it wouldn't last forever, but I was at least hoping that the makeup would last until the bruise didn't look so bad anymore.**

**Whatever, not like I could do anything about it anymore. If everyone else is fated to see the shiner I got, then I'll just have to live with it. But for now, I'm tired, I'm just going to go to bed.**

 

_Ding-dong, ding-dong._

 

_*bzz-rrpt!*_

Monokuma: Hello, my lovely students! Betcha thought this would be the Night Time announcement, huh? Nope!

Monokuma: Meet me in the auditorium, pronto! Don't lag behind! Upupu...

 

**Oh, for the love of everything holy, what now? I just wanted to go to back to my dorm and get some rest, interacting with Naruse-kun took at least ten years off my lifespan. Is rest too much to ask for?**

**Regardless, I figured I better go see what was up unless I wanted to incur the teddy bear's wrath. Some of my classmates exited their dorms as I walked past, and we all marched as a silent group towards the auditorium. Somehow, this felt less like that positive group we had merely a half-hour ago and more like a death march. Then again, any situation at all involving that damned bear could feel like that.**

**When we all reached the auditorium, I gently pushed the door open and decided to be the first brave soul to enter. Just like on our first day, Monokuma had not yet arrived. So what was that part about being late?! Ugh, at least stick to your own rules. The lot of us poured into the auditorium, and it was an utter delight to be forced to see Naruse-kun again so soon. He didn't say a word to me, just glared and walked away. Fuck you too, dude.**

Rokuhana: [adjusting glasses] So, what do you think this is about?

Koyasunaga: [hands on suspenders] I don't know, but I've got a really bad feeling about this...

Eoh: [dismissive expression] Be quiet, he should be arriving any moment to clear up our questions.

Koyasunaga: [pushing up glasses with middle finger] ...

**And just like Eoh-kun said, it wasn't long before there was the sound of rustling and Monokuma did a stylish backflip onto the stage. It'd be at least a little bit impressive if I didn't hate the bear with every fiber of my being.**

Monokuma: [neutral expression] Helloooo, my lovely students! Aren't you beary glad to see your beloved headmaster?

Sakairi: [rolling eyes] Not really.

Monokuma: [head bowed sadly] You wound me, Sakairi-kun! [baring claws angrily] Now shut up! You guys are pissing me off!

Sumeragi: [stoic look, sweating] Er, what is this about?

Monokuma: [face red with anger] What is this about? What is this about?! [angrily leaning forward] This is about murder! Or the lack of murder, really!

Kobashikawa: [arms crossed, frustrated] Oh great, another one of his fuckin' murder spiels.

Isogai: [tearing up] No, p-please, I've h-had enough of the m-m-murder talk...

Yozora: [gripping scarf fearfully] …

Monokuma: [face red with anger] I brought you here to kill each other, not to make friends! So what are you all doing? Making friends!! What does a bear gotta do to make you all kill each other?!

**I can feel my stomach dropping as he talks. I have a horrible feeling that I know where this is going.**

Asayoru: [hand on chest, stern look] Your goal here is to motivate us, isn't it? Well, we are a unit, so I can promise you that it won't work.

Monokuma: [paws on mouth] Upupu... Upupupupu...! That's where you're wrong, Asayoru-chan!

Asayoru: [wincing] ...

Monokuma: [paw behind head] But at least you got half right! Yepyep, I've cooked up a little incentive for all of you to off a classmate! You wanna get out of here, right?

Makabe: [frowning] Not at the cost of a friend's life.

Monokuma: [darkened expression] So you'd rather stay in here at the cost of someone else's life?

Makabe: [wide eyes] What?

Izuno: [smiling nervously] W-What?

Monokuma: [paw raised] You heard me. You'd all rather stay here in this stuffy place, even if it means the death of someone outside?

Eoh: [disdainful look] Stop being so vague, explain yourself.

Otonokouji: Yeah, what the hell are you talking about?

Monokuma: [paws on stomach] Well, alrighty! Coming to you fresh from the oven is your very first motive, and boy it's a winner! [paw behind head] I'll keep it short, simple and sweet! For every day there isn't a murder, I will firebomb the home of one of your loved ones at 4:30 PM~!

**The room went entirely silent. It was hard to process what we had all just heard. Our loved ones will get _firebombed?_ There's... There's no way he's capable of that, right? Yeah, he can't possibly be able to do that. It's just a bluff to scare us!**

Oogane: [clutching brush to chest] Oh god, I feel like I'm gonna be sick...

Tokuoka: [holding arm, looking away] What the fuck...

Naruse: [folding arms] Do it. I don't fucking care.

Imada: [looks left] ...

Sumeragi: [stern look] No. I refuse to believe that this is within your capabilities.

Monokuma: [paw raised to chin] Oh? Well, would you like a demonstration, then? It's well past 4:30 PM and there isn't a body!

Isogai: [sobbing, holding head] No, p-p-pleas-se, don't..!

Monokuma: [paw behind head] Toooo late! Time to give a demonstration! Who'll be the unlucky first ones to go?! How aboooout.... Otonokouji-kun's loved ones?

Otonokouji: What?

**Icy fear gripped me tightly when I heard that. I couldn't even muster anything else to say. I was too afraid. Something in me was hoping that this was just a bluff, but I could feel that this was serious. Monokuma pressed a button and a screen began lowering onto the stage. Once it had lowered all the way, he gave me a little wave and then pressed another button. The screen flickered to life, and I immediately felt sick.**

**That was my house. The screen was showing me my house. I could feel the room swaying under my feet as I could only watch in horror. There was signs of movement in the nearest window, probably my mother. No, no, this couldn't be happening! I can't let this happen! I willed myself forward, only to get held back by someone. I was too out of it to see who.**

**Monokuma gave that little laugh of his again and made a show of slowly pressing a button. I was vaguely aware that I was screaming from the ache in my throat. The screen, once showing the peacefulness of my home, was suddenly roiling with chaos and destruction. The walls of my house had blown outwards and fire was rapidly consuming the ruins.**

**I could feel all of the air rush out of my lungs. Out of my peripherals, I could see my classmates. Some were crying, others looked sick, some were just staring at me in pity. I couldn't take it. I couldn't take it anymore. At some point, I stopped hearing what was going on. I think Monokuma said something else. I couldn't tell you what, though.**

**I wasted no time in wrenching myself free from whoever had grabbed me and I ran for the auditorium door. I wasn't sticking around for anything else. I could hear footsteps following me. Perhaps someone wanted to make sure I was okay. I could tell them right now that I wasn't. I reached my dorm and quickly locked myself inside, ignoring the knocking that quickly followed. The voice sounded like Asayoru-san.**

Asayoru: Otonokouji-kun? Otonokouji-kun, please answer me! We need to know if you're okay!

**It took some effort, but I was able to remain silent and ignore her until she went away when the nighttime announcement played. Then, satisfied that everyone else had went to bed, I curled up in my own and I sobbed until I couldn't feel anymore.**

**Mom...**

**Dad...**

**They were gone.**

**They were gone and there was nothing I could do about it.**

 

mystery theatre

-we all lose things that we cherish.-

-it's a fact of life.-

-see, life is a cruel mistress to us all.-

-she giveth and she taketh away.-

-oftentimes it feels like she favors taking.-

-but it's okay. you'll be okay.-

-keep your chin up and just keep moving.-

-i believe in you.-

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sad trombone*  
> Poor Otonokouji.


End file.
